2014-Gods Kingdom Rules

8/11/2019 2014-Gods Kingdom Rules

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2 2014

WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT

SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Cod's Kingdom Rules

2014

'dACHTV.JRM BIBEL- U N D TRAKTAT-

CESELLSCHAFT DER ZEUCE N JEHOVAS,

E.V.. SELTERSflAUNUS

Cod's Kingdom Rules

'ebruary 2014 Print in g

3 i s publ icat ion is no t for sale. I t is

~ r o v i d e d s p a rt o f a wor ldwide Bib le

+?ucat ional wo rk sup ported by voluntary

zonations.

Llnless otherwise indicated, Scripture

quo tation s are fro m the modern-language

w

Wo rl d Translatio n of the Holy Scriptures.

"hot o Credits: Page 178: 1879 Songs o f

1e Br ide : Cour tesy o f he P i t ts Theo logy

. a?. Candler School ofTheology, Emo ry

rsity

.

:

Y~ngd om ules

- - -

s i 4r-E)

'.'azIe in Germa ny

Dru ck und Verlag: Wachtturm-Gesellscha ft,

Seltersfraunus

God's Kingdom

Rules

This b ook is the p roperty o f





ed worldwide, Kingdom publishers have used a va-

ons, testimony cards, phonographs, ra-

With Jehovah's blessing on the work, we are now able to publish

our attractive Bible literature in more than 670 languages and to

offer it to everyone without charge. Self-sacrificing volunteers as-

sist

in the construction of Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls, and

branch facilities, both in prosperous lands and in lands with lim-

ited resources. And when disaster strikes, loving brothers and sis-

ters rush to the aid of those in the affected areas, proving that

they truly are born for times of distress. -Prov. 1717.

At times, the clergy and other opposers frame trouble in the

name of the law, but it is faith-strengthening to see how, time

and again, their misguided efforts have turned out to be for the

advancement of the good news. -Ps.

94:20; Phil. 1:12.

It is an honor for us to be associated with you, our fellow do-

mestics. Please know that we love all of you very much. It is our

prayer that the contents of this publication will help you to ap-

preciate your spiritual heritage as never before.-Matt. 24:45.

With every good wish, we are

Your brothers,



1

Let Your Kingdom Come

2 The Kingdom Is Born in Heaven

, .

8

lGhgdom

Truth isp pen sing

Spiritual Food

3.

Jehovah Reveals His Purpose

4 Jehovah Exalts His Name

5.

The King Shines Light on the Kingdom

, 5

',

.f

',

- ,

.

Kingdom Preaching-Spreading the Good

News

Worldwide

6

People Who Preach-Ministers Offer Themselves Willingly

,

7

Methods o f Preaching-Using Every Means to Reach People

8

Tools for Preaching-Producing Literature for the Worldwide Field

9

Results o f Preaching- The Fields . . Are White for Harvesting



Kingdom Conquests Legally Establishing

the

Good News

13. Kingdom Preachers Take Their Case to Court

14

Loyally Supporting God s Government and No Other

148

157

Kingdom Education Training Servants o f the King

MeetingTogether for Worship 170

rraining Ministers o f the Kingdom 182

Kingdom Support B uilding for Worship and Providing Relief

18. How Kingdom Activities Are Financed 194

19.

Building Work That Honors Jehovah

202

20.

The Ministry o f Relief

209

Kingdom Promises Making

All

Things New

21.

God s Kingdom Removes Its Enemies

22.

The Kingdom Carries Out God s Will on Earth



FOCUS OF

C H P T E R

Examine what Jesus

taught about God's

Kingdom

I, 2. What words did Jeho-

vah himself speak in the

hearing of three ofJesus'

apostles, and how did they

respond?

3

Why

does Jehovah want

us to listen to his Son, and

what subject do we thus do

well to examine?

4.

How did Jesus indicate

that the Kingdom is close

to his heart?

Let

Your

Kingdom

Come"

IFJehovah God himself directed you to do something,ho

would you respond? No matter what he asked, would yo

not be eager to heed his direction? Surely you would

2 Sometime after the Passover of 32

C.E.,

three ofJesu

apostles-Peter, James, and John-had just such an exper

ence. ReadMatthew

17:l-5.

Gathered with their Mast

on "a lofty mountain," they saw in vision a preview of J

sus as a glorious heavenly King. The vision seemed so re

that Peter tried to take part in it. While Peter was spea

ing, a cloud formed over them. Then Peter and his ass

ciates plainly heard what only a handful of humans hav

ever been privileged to hear-Jehovah's own voice. After a

firmingthatJesus was his Son,Jehovah saidpointedly: "Li

ten to him." The apostles heeded that divine directio

They listened to what Jesus taught, and they urged othe

to do the same.-Acts 3:19-23;

4:

18-20.

Those words-"Listen to himn-were recorded in th

Bible for our benefit. (Rom. 1.54) Why? Because Jesu

is Jehovah's spokesman and every time Jesus opened h

mouth to teach, he shared what his Father wanted us t

know. (John 1:1, 14) Since Jesus spoke more about God

Kingdom, the heavenly Messianic government made up o

Christ Jesus and his 144,000 corulers, than he did abo

any other subject,we do well to examine this vital subje

carefully. (Rev. 59 0; 141-3;20:6) First, though, let us e

amine whyJesus said so much about God's Kingdom.

"Out

of th Abundance

of the

Heart. .

4

The Kingdom is close to Jesus' heart. Why can we sa

that? Because words are a window into the heart-that i

our words reveal what is truly important to us. Jesus him

self said: "Out of the abundance of the heart the mout

speaks." (Matt. 12:34) At every opportunity, Jesus opene

GOD'S KINGDOM RULE







The Messianic Kingdom is the instrument through which

Jehovah will sanctify his name and carry out his will.

How will God's Kingdom come? When we pray, "Let

your Kingdom come," we are asking that the Kingdom take

decisive action. When the Kingdom comes, it will exert its

full power toward the earth. It will remove the present wick-

ed system of things, including all man-made governments,

and bring in a righteous new world. (Dan. 2:44; 2 Pet. 3:13)

Then, under Kingdom rule, the entire earth will become

a paradise. (Luke 23:43) Those in God's memory will be

brought back to life and reunited with their loved ones.

(John 5:28,29) Obedient humans will reach perfection and

enjoy endless life. (Rev. 21:3-5)At last, earth will be in per-

fect harmony with heaven, reflecting the will of Jehovah

God Do you not long to see those Bible promises come

true? Remember that every time you pray for God's King-

dom to come, you are praying for those precious promises

to be fulfilled.

1

It is clear that God's Kingdom has not yet "come" to

fulfill the model prayer. After all, man-made governments

are still ruling and the righteous new world is not yet here.

But there is good news. God's Kingdom has been estab-

lished,

as

we will discuss in the next chapter. Let us now

examinewhat Jesus said

as

to when the Kingdom would be

established and when it would come.

When Would God s KingdomBe Established?

1

Jesus indicated that the Kingdom would not be estab-

lished in the first century C.E., despite the expectations of

some of his disciples. (Acts

1:6

Consider what he said in

two different parables given less than two years apart.

12

The parable

of

the wheat and the weeds. ReadMat-

thew 13:24-30.) After relating this parable, perhaps in the

spring of

31

C.E., Jesus explained it to his disciples. (Matt.

13:36-43) Here is the gist of the parable and its mean-

ing: Following the death of the apostles, the Devil would

sow weeds (imitation Christians) in among wheat ("sons of

the Kingdom," or anointed Christians). Both the wheat

and the weeds would be allowed to grow together during

a growing season that would continue until the harvest,

which is "a conclusion of a system of things." After the be-

ginning of the harvest season, the weeds would be collect-

ed. Then, the wheat would be gathered. The parable thus

indicates that the Kingdom would be established, not in

the first century C.E., but only after the growing season

9 10. (a) How will Cod's

Kingdom come? (b ) What

Bible promise do you long

to see fulfilled?

11.

What didJesus indicate

about the establishmento

Cod's Kingdom?

12

How does the parable

of the wheat and the weeds

indicate that the Kingdom

was not established

in

the

first century

C.E.?

LET

Y O U R

K I N G DOM COME



13. How didJesus illustrate

that he would not be in-

stalled as Messianic King

immediately after his re-

turn to heaven?

14

(a) How didJesusan-

swer the question that four

of his apostles asked

him?

(b)What does the fulfill-

ment ofJesus' prophecy

tell

us about his presence and

the Kingdom?

FOOTNOTE

[I]Jesus p arable ma y well have re-

mind ed his listeners ofArchelaus,

a

s on o f Herod the Crear Before Herod

died, he design ated Archelaus

as

heir

t o rulership overJudea and other

areas However, before he could begin

ruling, Archelaus irst had to make the

longjourney o Rome in order to se-

cure the approval o f Augustus Caesar.

ended. As matters worked out, the growing season ende

and the harvest season began in 1914.

3 The

parable

o

the

minas. Read Luke

19:ll-13

Jesus gave this parable in 33 C.E. on his way to Jerusale

for the last time. Some of his listeners thought that h

would set up his Kingdom as soon as they arrived in Jer

salem. To correct that notion and to show that the esta

lishment of the Kingdom was yet

a

long way off, Jesus com

pared himself to a man of noble birth who had to trav

to a distant land to secure kingly power. [ll In Jesus' cas

the distant land was heaven, where he would receive pow

er as King from his Father. But Jesus knew that he wou

not be installed as Messianic King immediately after his r

turn to heaven. Instead, he would sit at God's right han

and wait until the appointed time. As it turned out, th

wait lasted for many centuries.-Ps. 110:1, 2; Matt. 22:4

44; Heb. 10:12, 13.

When

Will

God s KingdomCome?

14

few days before Jesus was put to death, four of h

apostles asked him: What will be the sign of your presen

and of the conclusion of the system of things? (Matt. 24:

Mark 13:4)Jesus answered by relating the extensive prop

ecy that is recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. Jes

GOD ' S K I N G D OM RUL E



detailed various global events that would serve as a sign

identifting a time period called his presence. The

start

of

his presence would coincide with the

establishment

of the

Kingdom;and the

culmination

of his presence, with the

com

ing

of the Kingdom. We have ample proof thatJesus' proph-

ecy has been undergoing fulfillment since 1914.121Hence,

that year marked the start of his presence and the estab-

lishment of the Kingdom.

5 When, though, will God's Kingdom finally come?Je-

sus did not reveal exactly when that would happen. (Matt.

24:36) But he did say something that should assure us that

it is very near indeed. Jesus indicated that the Kingdom

would come after this generation witnessed the fulfill-

ment of the prophetic sign. Read

Matthew

2432-34. To

whom does the expression this generation refer? Let us

take a closer look at Jesus' words.

6

Yt?hisgeneration. Did Jesus have in mind unbeliev-

ers? No. Consider his audience. Jesus related this prophe-

cy to a few apostles who had approached him privately.

(Matt.243) The apostles would soon be anointed with holy

spirit. Note also the context. Before he spoke about this

generation, Jesus said: Now learn this illustration from

the fig tree: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender

and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. Like-

wise also you, when you see all these things, know that he

is near at the doors. Jesus' anointed followers-not un-

believers-would see the things he foretold and would dis-

cern their significance, namely, that Jesus is near at the

doors. Therefore, when Jesus spoke of this generation,

he had in mind his

anointedfollowers.

7 uWill

b y

no means pass away until all these things

happen.

How will those words prove true? To answer that,

we need to know two things: the meaning both of gener-

ation and of all these things. The term generation of-

ten refers to people of varying ages whose lives overlap dur-

ing a particular period of time. generation is not overly

long, and it comes to an end. (Ex. 1:6)The expression all

these things includes all the foretold events during Jesus'

presence, from its beginning in 1914 until its culmination

at the great tribulation. -Matt. 24:21.

HOW, hen, may we understand Jesus' words about

this generation ? The generation consists of two over-

lapping groups of anointed ones-the first is made up of

anointed ones who saw the beginning of the fulfillment of

the sign in 1914 and the second, anointed ones who for a

15 16. TOwhom do the

words this generation

refer?

17. m a t s the meaning

of the expressions genera-

tion and all these

things ?

18

19. HOWmay

w

understandJesus'words

about this generation,

and what may we con-

clude?

FOOTNOTE

[Z]For more information see

chap-

ter 9 o f he book

What

Does the ible

Really Tach

LET

Y O U R

K INGDOM

COME



20.

What vital field of study

will be discussed

in this

publication, and what will

be examined

in

th next

chapter?

FOOTNOTE

[3]

Anyone who

was

anoin ted aFter the

death

o f

he last of

the

anornted ones

tn the first group-that IS, after those

who witnessed the beg ~nn ~ngf pangs

ofdlstress in 1914-would not be part

o f th~ s eneratton -Matt 48

G E N E R T I O N

[Matt. 24:32-34

time were contemporaries of the first group. At least som

of those in the second group will live to see the beginnin

of the coming tribulation. The two groups form one gene

ation because their lives as anointed Christians overlappe

for a time.r31

19 What may we conclude? Well, we know that the sign

Jesus' presence in Kingdom power is clearly evident aroun

the globe. We also see that the anointed ones who are st

alive and part of "this generation" are getting on in year

yet, they will not all d e off before the great tribulatio

begins. Therefore, we can conclude that very soon indee

God's Kingdom will come and exercise its rule over th

earth How thrilling it will be to witness the fulfillment

the prayer that Jesus taught us: "Let your Kingdom come"

2 Let us never forget the words that Jehovah himse

spoke from heaven regarding his Son: "Listen to him."

true Christians, we are eager to heed that divine directio

We are keenly interested in everything that Jesus said an

taught about God's Kingdom. What that Kingdom has a

ready accomplished and will do in the future is the vit

field of study that will be discussed in this publication. Th

next chapter will examine the exciting developments th

surrounded the birth of God's Kingdom in heaven.

l sus

indicated that the Kingdsm w ll come afler

&is generation"

haswitnessed th fulfillment

o

I - I .

ROUP

:

Anointed ones who saw the beginning

of the fulfillment of the sign in 1914



The Kingdom

Is

Born in Heaven

DO YOU ever wonder what it might have been like to live

during some great turning point in history? Many do. But

consider: If you had lived in such a momentous time, would

you have personally witnessed the key events that brought

about change? Perhaps not. Events that spell doom for old

regimes and fill the pages of history books often take place

out of the public eye. In a sense, much of history unfolds

behind closed doors-in throne rooms, in private coun-

cil chambers, or in government offices. Nonetheless, such

changes affect millions of lives.

2 What about the greatest event ever to occur in the

history of the world? That event has touched millions of

lives. Yet, it took place out of human view. We refer, of

course, to the birth in heaven of God's Kingdom, the long-

promised Messianic government that will soon bring this

whole world system to its end.

ReadDaniel

2:34, 35,44,

45.

Since humans did not witness that momentous birth,

should we conclude that Jehovah hid the event from man-

kind? Or, rather, did he prepare his loyal people for it be-

forehand? Let us see.

My Messenger. . Will Clear UpaWay BeforeMe

From ancient times, Jehovah purposed to prepare his

people for the birth of the Messianic Kingdom. For in-

stance, consider the prophecy of Malachi 3:l: "Look I am

sending my messenger, and he will clear up a way before

me. And suddenly the true Lord, whom you are seeking,

will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant

will come, in whom you take delight."

4

In the modern-day fulfillment, when didJehovah, "the

true Lord," come to inspect those who were serving in the

earthly courtyard of his spiritual temple? The prophecy ex-

plains thatJehovah would come with "the messenger of the

FOCUS

OF CHAPTER

How Cod s people

were prepared for the

birth o f the Kingdom

I 2. What was the great-

est event ever to occur

i n

world history, and

why

is it

not surprising that

it

went

unseen

by

human eyes?

3-5.

(a) Who was "the

messenger of the covenant"

mentioned at Malachi

3:1?

(b) What would happen

before "the messenger of

the covenant" would come

to the temple?

T H E K I N G DO M

IS B O R N

N

H E V E N



6. Who acted as the fore-

told "messenger" that came

first to prepare God's peo-

ple for the events ahead?

7

8.

(a) During the

1800's, who began to ex-

pose the falseness of the

immortality of the soul

doctrine? b)

C.

T. Russell

and his close associates

ex-

posed what other teachings

as false?

9.

How did Zion s Wakh

T i r

xposeas false the

Trinity doctrine?

FOOTNOTE

l]

To

learn

more about Grew,

Stet-

son,

and Sto rrs , see

the

bookjehovah s

Witnesses-Proclaimers of

Cod s

Kingdom,

pages

4546.

covenant." Who was that? None other than the Messiani

King, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:68-73) As the newly installed

Ruler, he would inspect and refine God's people on earth

1

Pet. 4:17.

Who, though, was the other "messenger," the first on

mentioned at Malachi 3:1? This prophetic figure would b

on the scene well before the Messianic King's presence. In

the decades before 1914,did anyone "clear up a way" befor

the Messianic King?

6 Throughout this publication, we will find answer

to such questions in the thrilling history of Jehovah'

modern-day people. This history shows that in the latte

part of the 19th century, one small group of faithful peo

ple was emerging as the only body of genuine Christians in

a vast field of imitations. That group came to be known a

the Bible Students. Those taking the lead among them

-Charles T. Russell and his close associates-did, indeed

act as the foretold "messenger," giving spiritual direction

to God's people and preparing them for the events ahead

Let us consider four ways in which the "messenger" did so

Worshipping inTruth

7 Those Bible Students studied prayerfully; the

agreed on, collected together, and published clear doc

trinal truths. For centuries, the world of Christendom had

been enveloped in spiritual darkness; many of its teaching

were rooted in paganism. A prime example is the doctrin

of the immortality of the soul. During the 1800's, though

a few sincere students of the Bible scrutinized that teach

ing and saw that it had no support in God's Word. Henry

Grew, George Stetson, and George Storrs wrote and lec

tured boldly, exposing that satanic lie.['] Their work, in

turn, had a profound impact on C

T. Russell and his clos

associates.

The little group of Bible Students found that othe

doctrines linked to the immortality of the soul were like

wise confusing and false-for example, the teaching that al

good people go to heaven or that God torments the im

mortal souls of the wicked in eternal hellfire. Russell an

his close associates boldly exposed those lies in numerou

articles, books, pamphlets, tracts, and published sermons

9 Likewise, the Bible Students exposed

as

false the wide

ly revered Trinity doctrine. In 1887,

Zion s Watch

ower re

marked: "The Scriptures are very clear concerning the dis

tinct individuality and exact relationship of Jehovah an

G O D 'S K I N G D O M R U LE S



our Lord Jesus. The article then noted how amazing it was

that the idea of a triune God-three Gods in one, and at

the same time, one God in three-should ever have gained

prominence and general acceptance. But the fact that it is

so, only goes to show how soundly the church slept while

the enemy bound her in the chains of error.

1

As its full title suggested, the journal Zion s Watch Tow-

er and Herald of Christ s Presence was deeply concerned with

prophecies pertaining to Christ's presence. The faithful

anointed writers who contributed to that journal saw that

Daniel's prophecy regarding the seven times had a bear-

ing on the timing of the fulfillment of God's purposes re-

garding the Messianic Kingdom. As early

as

the 1870's, they

pointed to 1914

as

the year when those seven times would

end. (Dan. 4:25; Luke

21:24

Although our brothers of that

era did not yet grasp the full significance of that marked

year, they proclaimed what they knew far and wide, with

long-lasting effects.

mther

Russell

and

his

close ss ci tes

championed.Bible

lo

How

did

the

atch

Tower po nt

to

1914

as a

marked year?

THE

K I N G O M

S

BORN IN HE VEN



11 12. (a) To whom did

Brother Russell give cred-

t for what he taught?

b)

How importantwas

t h e

work carried out by Russell

and his associates in the

decades prior to 1914?

13 14. a) How did the

"messenger"help to pre-

pare the way for the

Messianic King? b) What

can we learn from our

brothers of more than a

century ago?

1s. The Bible Students

gwdually

came

to

what

1

Neither Russell nor his faithful associates claimed

credit for uncovering and grasping those vital spiritual

truths. Russell gave much credit to others who had come

before him. Above

all,

he gave credit to Jehovah God, the

one responsible for teaching His people what they need to

know when they need to know it. Clearly,Jehovah did bless

the efforts of Russell and his associates to sift out truth

from falsehood.

As

the years passed, they stood ever more

apart and dtstinct from Christendom.

2 The work those faithful men did in championing doc-

trinal truth in the decades before 1914 was simply amaz-

ing Looking back, The Watch wer and Herald of Christ s

Presence

of November 1,1917,commented:"Millionsof peo-

ple today find themselves free from the burden of fear, im-

posed upon them by the teachings of hell fire and other

false doctrines The tide of Truth, which began more

than forty years ago, is still steadily rising and will contin-

ue to rise until it fills the whole earth; and its opponents

might as well try to sweep back with an ordinary broom

the waves of a mighty ocean as to prevent the Truth from

spreading throughout the earth."

13

Consider this: Would people have been prepared for

the beginning of Christ's presence if they were not able to

distinguishJesus from his Father,Jehovah?Surelynot Nor

would they have been prepared if they thought that im-

mortality was the automatic possession of all and not a

precious gift bestowed on only relatively few of Christ's

footstep followers;nor if they thought that God torment-

ed people in hellfire for

ll

eternity with no hope of relief

Without doubt, the "messenger" prepared the way for the

Messianic King

4

And what about us today? What can we learn from

our brothers of more than a century ago?We likewise need

to be avid readers and students of God's Word. (John 173)

As this materialistic world becomes emaciated, spiritually

speaking, may our appetite for spiritual food grow ever

stronger -Read 1

Timothy 415.

Get

Out

of Her My

Peoplen

5

The Bible Students taught that it was

necessary

to

break awayfrom worldly churches.

In

1879, the Watch

Tow

er

referred to the "Babylon church." Was it talking about

the papacy? The Roman Catholic Church? Protestant de-

nominations had for centuries made such applications of

Babylon as a prophetic type in Scripture. However, the

GOD S KINGDOM

RULES



Bible Students gradually came to the realization that

all

the churches of Christendom were included in modern-

day "Babylon." Why? Because they all taught doctrinal lies

such

as

those discussed above.[21In time, our publications

became more and more direct about what honesthearted

members of Babylon's churches should do.

16

For example, in 1891, Volume I11 of

Millennia Dawn

discussed God's rejection of modern-day Babylon and not-

ed: "The whole system-a system of systems-is rejected." It

added that all those "not in sympathy with her false doc-

trines and practices are now called to separate themselves

from her."

17

In January 1900, the Watch Tower offered counsel to

those who still kept their names on the denominational

rolls of Christendom's churches and who rationalized their

course, saying, "My sympathies are all with the truth, and I

rarely attend other meetings." The article asked: "But is this

right-to be half out and half in Babylon? Is this the obe-

dience required and pleasing and acceptable to God?

Surely not. He [the church member] publicly entered into a

covenant

with the denomination when he joined it, and he

should faithfully live up to all the conditions of that cove-

nant until he publicly renounces or cancels his member-

ship." Over the years, that message became stronger.[31Ser-

vants of Jehovah must renounce all ties with false religion.

18 If such warnings to get out of Babylon the Great had

not been sounded regularly, would Christ

as

the newly in-

stalled King have had a body of prepared, anointed servants

on earth? Surely not, for only Christians who are free from

Babylon's grip can worshipJehovah "with spirit and truth."

(John

424

Are we today likewise determined to keep free

from false religion? Let us keep obeying the command: "Get

out of her, my people" -Read Revelation

18:4

Gathering

for Worship

9

The Bible Students taught that fellow believers

should gather together for worship, where that was pos-

sible. For genuine Christians, it is not enough to get out

of false religion. It is vital to take part in pure worship as

well. From its early issues, the

Watch Tower

encouraged read-

ers to gather together for worship. For example, in July

1880, Brother Russell reported on a speaking tour he had

made, commenting on how encouraging the many meet-

ings had been. He then urged readers to send in cards re-

garding their progress-some of which would be published

16 17.

(a) How did Vol-

me of

Millennia Dawn

and

t he Watch Tower

urge

people to remove them-

selves from false religion?

(b)What factor diluted

such early warnings?(See

footnote.)

18

Why was it necessary

for people to get out of

Babylon

t h e

Great?

19

20.

How did the

Watch

ower

encourage God's

people to gather together

for worship?

FOOTNOTES

[2]

Although the Bible Students saw

the need to withdra w from religious

organizations that were friends o f the

world, for years they continued t o view

as

Christian broth ers individuals who ,

althou gh no t Bible Students, professed

belief in the ransom and claimed to be

dedicated to Cod .

[3]

One factor that diluted the force of

such early warnings was th at they were

applied mainly to C hrist's little Rock o f

144,000. We will see in Chapce r5 tha t

prior to 1935, ~t w ashought that the

great multitude , as described at Rev-

elation 7:9,10 in the K T

James

Version,

would Include countless memb ers o f

the churches o f Christendom and tha t

they would be m ade a secondary heav-

enly class as a rewa rd for siding with

Christ a t the very end.

T H E

K I N G D O M

I S

B O R N

I N

H E V E N



Charles Russell

with

a group

of early Bible Students n

Copenhagen, Denmark,

n

19 9

21

The congregation in

Allegheny, Pennsylvania, set

what example regarding

meetings and shepherding?

in the journal's pages. To what end? Let us all know.

how the Lord prospers you; whether you keep up your

meetings with those of like precious faith.

2

In 1882, an article called Assembling Together ap-

peared in the

Watch

Tower The article exhorted Christians

to hold meetings for mutual edification, encouragement

and strengthening. It noted: It matters not whether there

is any one learned or talented among you. Let each one

bring his own Bible, paper, and pencil, and avail yourselves

of as many helps in the way of a Concordance, as pos-

sible. Choose your subject; ask for the Spirit's guidance in

the understanding of it; then read, think compare scripture

with scripture and you will assuredly be guided into truth.

21

The Bible Students had their headquarters in Alle-

gheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. There they set a fine example by

gathering together in obedience to the inspired counsel re-

corded at Hebrews

10:24 25. Read.)

Much later, an elder-

ly brother named Charles Capen recalled attending those

GOD S

K I N G D O M R UL ES



meetings

as

a boy. He wrote:

I

still remember one of the

scripture texts painted on the wall of the Society's assembly

hall. 'One is your Master, even Christ; and ll ye are breth-

ren.' That text has always stood ou t in my mind-there is

no clergy-laity distinction among Jehovah's people.'' (Matt.

23:8

Brother Capen also recalled the stimulating meetings,

the warm encouragement, and Brother Russell's diligent ef-

forts to shepherd every member of the congregation per-

sonally.

Faithful people responded to this example and to the

instruction given. Congregations formed in other states,

such as Ohio and Michigan, and then all over North Amer-

ica and in other lands. Consider: Would faithful people

have truly been prepared for the presence of Christ if they

had not been trained to obey the inspired counsel to meet

together for worship? Surely not What about us today? We

need to be just as determined to attend Christian meetings

faithfully, seeking every opportunity to worship together

and be spiritually upbuilding to one another.

ealous Preaching

3 The Bible Students taught that all the anointed

must be preachers of the truth. In 1885, the

atch

ower

commented: "We should not forget that every member of

the anointed body is anointed to preach (Isa. 61:1 , called

22 How did faithful people

respond to the encourage-

ment to attend Christian

meetings, and what lesson

may we learn fiom them?

23

How did the atch

ower

make

t

plain that all

anointed ones must be

preachers of the truth?

A

colporteur. Note

the "Chartof t he

Ages" painted on t he

side of

t h e

carriage

T H E

K I N G D O M

I S B O R N N H E V E N



In

1914

the Bible

Students began I

t to discern the sign

ofChrist s invisible



to the ministry." An 1888 issue contained this exhortation:

"Our commission is plain f we ignore it and excuse our-

selves, we are certainly slothful servan'ts, proving our un-

worthiness of the high position to which we are called."

24 Brother Russell and his close associates did more

than encourage people to preach. They also began to pro-

duce tracts called

Bible Students Tracts,

which were later also

called

ld

TheologyQuarterly. Readers of the WatchTower re-

ceived these to distribute to the public without charge.

2s

Those who devoted themselves to the ministry full-

time were called colporteurs. Charles Capen, mentioned

earlier, was among them. He later recalled: "I used maps

made by the United States Government Geological Survey

to guide my covering the territory in Pennsylvania. These

maps showed all the roads, making it possible to reach all

sections of each county on foot. Sometimes after a three-

day trip through the country taking orders for the books

in the Stdies in

th

Scripturesseries, would hire a horse and

buggy so that I could make the deliveries. often stopped

and stayed overnight with farmers. Those were the pre-

automobile days."

26

Such early efforts at preaching certainly required

courage and zeal. Would true Christians have been pre-

pared for Christ's reign if they had not been taught the im-

portance of the preaching work? Assuredly not After all,

that work was to become an outstanding feature of Christ's

presence. (Matt. 2414) God's people had to be prepared to

make that lifesaving work the central feature of their lives.

We today do well to ask ourselves: 'Is the preaching work

central to my life? Do I make sacrifices in order to have a

full share in that activity?

Cod's Kingdom s Born

7

Finally, the momentous year 1914 arrived. As we dis-

cussed at the outset of this chapter, there were no human

eyewitnesses to the glorious events in heaven. However, the

apostle John was given a vision that described matters in

symbolic terms. Imagine this: John witnesses "a great sign"

in heaven. God's "woman"-his organization of spirit crea-

tures in heaven-is pregnant and gives birth to a male child.

This symbolic child, we are told, is soon to "shepherd all

the nations with an iron rod." Upon its birth, though, the

child is "snatched away to God and to his throne." A loud

voice in heaven says: "Now have come to pass the salvation

24, 25. (a) How did Rus-

sell and his close associates

do more than encourage

people to preach? (b) How

did one colporteur describe

his work

n

the "preauto-

mobile days"?

26.

(a) Why did God's

people need to engage

n

the preachingwork in order

to be prepared for Christ's

reign? (b) What questions

do we do well to ask our-

selves?

27, 28. What did the apos-

tleJohn witness

n

vision,

and how did Satan and his

demons react to the birth

of the Kingdom?

Wedowell to ask

ourselves

is the

preaching work

central to

my

l i f e?

T H E KINGDOM IS B O R N IN H E A V E N



29, 30.

Following the birth

of the Messianic Kingdom,

how did conditionschange

(a) on earth? (b) in

heaven?

31

What did Malachi fore-

tell about the period of

refining, and how did that

prophecy begin to see

ful-

fillment? See also the

footnote.)

32.

What internal turmoil

afflicted God's people fol-

lowing

9 62

FOOTNOTE

[4]

In September

1920, The

Gdden

ge nowAwake1) published a special

issue detailing numerous Instances of

wartime persecution-some o f it

shockingly brutal-in Canad a, England,

Germany, and the United States. In

contrast, the decades prio r to th e first

wo rld war saw very little persecution o f

that kind.

and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the au-

thority of his Christ."-Rev. 12:1,

5,

10.

28 Without doubt, John saw in vision the birth of the

Messianic Kingdom. That event was surely a glorious one,

but it did not please everyone. Satan and his demons

warred against the faithful angels, who were under the lead-

ership of Michael, or Christ. The outcome? We read: "Down

the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one

called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhab-

ited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels

were hurled down with him."-Rev. 12:7, 9.

9

Long before 1914, the Bible Students said that a time

of trouble would begin in that marked year. But even

they could not have imagined how accurate that predic-

tion would turn out to be. As John's vision revealed, Satan

would then begin to have an even greater impact on hu-

man society: "Woe for the earth and for the sea, because

the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, know-

ing that he has a shor t period of time." (Rev. 12:12) In 1914,

the first world war broke ou t and the sign of Christ's pres-

ence in kingly power began to see global fulfillment. The

"last days" of this system of things had begun.-2 Tim. 3:l.

3

However, there was joy in heaven. Satan and his de-

mons were banished forever. John's account reads: "On this

account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them "

(Rev. 12:12) With the heavens cleansed and Jesus enthroned

as

King, the Messianic Kingdom was now poised to act in

behalf of God's people on earth. What action would i t take?

As we saw at the outset of this chapter, Christ as "the mes-

senger of the covenant" would first act

s

a refiner of God's

servants here on earth. What would that mean?

ATime ofTesting

3

Malachi foretold that the refining process would not

be easy. He wrote: "Who will endure the day of his coming,

and who will be able to stand when he appears? For he

will

be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen."

(Mal. 3:2) How true those words proved to be Beginning in

1914,God's people on earth faced a successionof major tests

and hardships. As World War I raged, many Bible Students

experiencedvicious persecution and imprisonment.[']

32

From within, the organization suffered turmoil as

well. In 1916, Brother Russell died at only 64 years of age,

leaving many of God's people in shock. His death revealed

that some had been placing too much emphasis on one

GOD'S

KINGDOM

RU L E S



exemplary man. Though Brother Russell wanted no such

reverence, a measure of creature worship had grown up

around him. Many thought that the progressive revelation

of tru th had ended with his death, and some bitterly resist-

ed efforts to move forward. That attitude contributed to an

outbreak of apostasy that divided the organization.

33 Unfulfilled expectations were another test. Though

the Watch

Tower

had rightly pointed to 1914 as the year

when the Gentile Times would end, the brothers did not

yet understand what would take place in that year. (Luke

21:24) They thought that in 1914, Christ would take his

anointed bride class to heaven to rule with him there.

Those hopes were not realized. Late in 1917,

The Watch Tow

er

announced that a 40-year harvest period would end in

the spring of 1918. But the preaching work did not end. It

continued to prosper after that date passed. The magazine

suggested that the harvest had indeed ended but that a pe-

riod of gleaning remained. Still, many stopped serving Je-

hovah because of disappointment.

4 A daunting test arose in 1918.J. F. Rutherford, who

succeeded C T Russell in taking the lead among God's

people, was arrested along with seven other responsible

brothers. They were unjustly sentenced to long terms of

imprisonment in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Geor-

gia, U.S.A. For a time, the work of God's people may have

seemed paralyzed. Many among the clergy of Christendom

rejoiced. They assumed that with the "leaders" imprisoned,

the headquarters in Brooklyn closed up, and the preaching

work under attack in America and Europe, those pestilent

Bible Students were "dead-no longer a threat. (Rev. 11:3,

7-10) How wrong they were

AT ime of evival

5

Little did the enemies of the truth know that Jesus

allowed these hardships to afflict his people only because

Jehovah was then sitting "as a refiner and cleanser of sil-

ver." (Mal. 3:3) Jehovah and his Son were sure that the faith-

ful ones would emerge from those fiery tests refined, puri-

fied, and better suited than ever for service to the King.

From early in 1919, it became clear that God's spirit had

done what the enemies of his people thought impossible.

The faithful ones were revived (Rev. 11:ll) At that time,

Christ evidently fulfilled a key feature of the sign of the last

days. He appointed "the faithful and discreet slave," a small

group of anointed men who would take the lead among his

33 How did unfulfilled

expectations test God's

people?

34.

What daunting test

arose

in

1918 and why did

Christendom

t h ink

that

God's people were "dead"?

35. Why did Jesus allow

hardships to afflict his fol-

lowers, and what action

did he take to help them?

THE KINGDOM

I S

ORN IN H E V E N



36

What showed that

Cod s people were reviving

spiritually?

37 In the years after

1919, how did some prove

disloyal?

FOOTNOTE

[S] For man y years The atdr

ower w s

intended mainly for members of the lit

tle flock for their personal edificat~on.

people by dispensing spiritual food at the proper time.

-Matt. 2445 47.

36 Brother Rutherford and his associates were released

from prison on March

26,

1919. convention was soon

scheduled for that September. Plans got under way to start

up a second journal, to be called The Golden Age.

A

compan-

ion to

The

Watch

Tower

it was designed for use in the field

The same year saw the publication of the first

issue of the

Bulletin

which is now called

Our Kingdom

Min

istvy.

From the start, it has aIways been a stimulus to the

field ministry. Without a doubt, from 1919 onward the per-

sonal, house-to-house ministry came increasingly to the

fore.

37 The preaching work continued to refine Christ s ser-

vants, for the proud and arrogant among them had no

stomach for such humble work. Those who would not get

in step with the work parted company with the faithful

ones. In the years following 1919, some disloyal ones were

COD S K I N G D OM RULES



embittered and resorted to slander and libel, even siding

with the persecutors of Jehovah's faithful servants.

8

Despite such attacks, though, Christ's followers on

earth continued to thrive and to prosper spiritually. Their

every success, their every victory since then, furnishes us

with convincing proof that God's Kingdom rules Only

by God's active support and blessing-which he provides

through his Son and the Messianic Kingdom-could a

group of mere imperfect humans win victory after victory

over Satan and this wicked system of things -Read

saiah

54:17.

39

In the chapters that follow, we will examine what

God's Kingdom has accomplished on earth in the century

since it was born in heaven. Each section of this book will

cover a distinct aspect of the Kingdom work here on earth.

In each chapter, a review box will help us individually to de-

termine just how real the Kingdom is to us. In the conclud-

ing chapters, we will discuss what to expect when the King-

dom comes in the near future to destroy the wicked and

usher in a paradise earth. What will studying this publica-

tion do for you?

4

Satan wants to erode your faith in God's Kingdom.

But Jehovah wants to strengthen your faith so that it will

protect you and keep you strong. (Eph. 6:16) Therefore, we

urge you to study this publication prayerfully. Keep asking

yourself, 'Is God's Kingdom

real

to me?' The more real it

is to you now, the more likely it is that you will be on hand,

faithfully and actively supporting that Kingdom, on the

day when everyone alive will see that God's Kingdom is real

and that it is ruling

38 What do t h e successes

and victories of Christ's

followers on earth furnish

for us?

39

40. (a) What are some

of

the features of this pub-

lication?

b )

What can

studying this book do for

you?

he birth of

7:yt?{ Who helped to prepare Jesus' true

How

Real

Is

I

A .I

;

he Kingdom?

the

Kingdom .:

s . i ~

.

true Christians prepared for the rule of

What features mark the KlngdOm

as

a real government?

(See the box "God's Kingdom-A Real Government.")

How

can you imitate Christ's faithful followers of a century

go s

vou support

the

Kingdom today?

THE

K I N G D OM

IS

B O R N

I N

H E AV E N





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PKEPARE D FOR

TH

B I R T H

OF T H E

K I N G O M

Consider some historical events from the decades leadingup to

1914.

Can you see.howthese developmentshelpedGod's people

to be prepared

for

the birth o f he Messianic Kingdom?

Henry Grew, GeorgeSretson, and

GeorgeStorrsscrutinize and expose

the falseness o f he doctrineof the

immortalityo f he humansoul

CharlesT. Russell begins a carefil

examinationo f he doctrinesof

Christendom's churches and finds

misinterpretationsof he Scriptures;

Russell's wavering faithn is

reestablishedafter he hears a sermon

byAdventist preacherJonasWendell

BrotherRussell forms a Bible study

: group; they begin a systematic study

of he Bible

i 1870 1875

Truths regarding he soul, the

i

ransom, and the mannerof Christ's

i

return become clearer

i

1876

An article byC. T. Russell, published

in the Bible Examiner, pointsto 1914

as the end of he GentileTimes

Tke Object and Manner o f o u r Lord's

Return

is published to clarifjr truths

regardingChrist's presence

i

1879

ofZion's Watch

m r

and Herald of Christ's Presence is

: Babylonthe Great is recognized as

beingassociatedwith the nominal

churcheso fChristendom

BrotherRussell tours the

northeasternUnitedStates to visit

and strengthenstudy groups

: Multipagetracts (some over 100

i

pages long) are published and

providedto

Watch Tower

readers for

:

free public distribution

The

Watch Tower

invites all readers

to commemoratethe Memorial in

Allegheny, Pennsylvania

i Colporteurwork begins

Articles such as Wanted 1,000

-

Preachers and Anointed to Preach

promotethe ministry

Christians who are not yet doing

so are encouragedto begin holding

meetings regularly

An article refutingtheTrinity

doctrine ispublished

WatchTower publicationsreach

readers on five continents

1886

The Divine Plan ofthe Ages is released,

i

the first volumeof the series of

i

books later known

as

Studies

in

the

:

Scriptures

i The Watch Tower invites readers to

:

a

three-day genera meeting to -

i follow the Memorial o fChrist's

death, thus beginning he practiceof

holdingannualconventions

The Bible House

is

built in Allegheny,

.

.

.

Rnosylvania

t

-

.

h

1

,

. .

--

.

. . a

-

5

2 m

r

I

I . -

.

.

I

, i @ a ' I .

.



The Watch TowerSocie~yublishes

First branch ofice established n

Rotherham's New Testament, using a London, England

secular printingcompany

Preachingwork reaches

28

countries

i 1891

1903

C.

T

Russell begins extensive tours

~ i ~ ~ ~ i b ~ t i ~ ~

ffi ee tracts

on

outside the United Sates, seeking

i

Sundays, which had taken

place

n

ways of forwarding the

streets nearchurches, shifts to

:

the Truth

intense house-to-housecampaigns

1894

Russell's sermons begin to appear

:

regularly in newspapers

TowerTract Society representatives,

acting

as

traveling overseers, are sent 1909

out to visit and encourage

congregations

The headquarters o f he Watch

Tower Society moves to Brooklyn,

New York

The dchTower notes that some

faithful ones are holding Dawn

Circles for Bible study and

recommends the holding o f hese

: Circles everywhere

C.

T.

Russell publishes he booklet

hat

Say theScriptures

bout

Hell

The Bible Students begin to use the

name International Bible Students

Association

C. T Russell and six companions

travel some 35,000 miles on a

round-the-world tour to investigate

the status and prospects o f

Christianity in various lands,

including China, India, Japan, and

the Philippines

The Photo-Drama o f Creation

is firs t shown in New York on

January 11, then in five other cities

within the next month. By the end

o f he year, it s seen in various forms

by close to 9,000,000 people in

Nor th America, Europe, Australi;

and New Zealand

In October, C. T. Russell announces

to the Bethel family: T h e Gentile

times have ended; their kings have

had their day. According to a sister

in attendance, he added: So we

know no t what awaits us



M

sist r n

Alabama

U.S.A.

playing

a

recorded

kourseby

Bro~htr

utherford,

kte 1930 s

ispensing

Spiritual Food



r .

,

r t .

1.

- YOU, see your Bible studen;'s eym

light

up zs --.. . H w ever had such an experience?Many

hegasps he meaning o f he scripture you -

o fGod's people have. Few things can so vividly

havejust read together. Slowly, he. says, "Do remind uso f he preciousgift we have been

you mean that the Bible teaches that we can given-the knowledge

of

he truth Stop and

live in Paradise forever-right here on this

think: How did that gift come to you?In this

earth?" Your companion in the ministry smiles section we will examine that question. The way

and says, "Well, what did you see in the Bible?" that God's people have progressively received

Overwhelmed, the student shakes his head in

spiritual enlightenment

i s

a vivid proof that

wonderment, saying,

"I

ust can't believethat God's Kingdom is real. For a century,

i t s

King,

before " You recall that

JesusChrist, has been actively ensuring that

Cod's people are taught the truth.



FOCUS O F CH PTER

Jehovah progressively

reveals understanding

o f his purpose, bu t

only to those who fear

him

I

2. How has Jehovah

revealed his purpose for

mankind?

3 4. Did Jehovah predesti-

nate the path of human

history? kplain.

FOOTNOTE

[I]

God's name is a form of the

Hebrew verb meaning to become.

Jehovah's name implies that he is the

Fulfiller o f his promises.

See

the box

The Meaning of God's Name, on

page43

Jehovah Reveals

His Purpose

CARING parents include their children in discussions

about family matters. They are discreet, however, about the

amount of information that they share. They reveal only

details that they feel their children are mature enough to

absorb.

Similarly, Jehovah has progressively revealed his pur-

pose for the human family. But he has done so only when

he knew that the time was right. Consider a brief overview

of how Jehovah has revealed truths about the Kingdom

throughout history.

Why the Need

for

the Kingdom

Originally, the Messianic Kingdom was not part of Je-

hovah's purpose. Why not? Because Jehovah did not pre-

destinate the path of human history; after

all

he created

humans with free will. Thus, he told Adam and Eve his pur-

pose for mankind, stating: Be fruitful and become many,

fill the earth and subdue it. (Gen. 1:28 Jehovah also re-

quired that they respect his standards of good and bad.

(Gen. 2:16,17) Adam and Eve could have chosen to remain

loyal. If they and their descendants had done so, we would

not need the Kingdom ruled by Christ to fulfill God's pur-

pose. Right now, the globe would be teeming with perfect

people,

all

worshipping Jehovah.

4

The rebellion of Satan, Adam, and Eve did not cause

Jehovah to abandon his purpose to

fill

the earth with a per-

fect human family. Instead, Jehovah adapted his method of

fulfilling it. His purpose is not like a train that must run

on a certain track to reach its destination and can be de-

railed by the actions of others. Once Jehovah states his pur-

pose, no force in the universe can prevent its fulfillment.

Read

saiah

55:ll.

If a challenge threatens to block one

track, Jehovah uses another.['] (Ex. 3:14, 15) When he sees

GOD ' S

KINGDOM

RULES



fit, he informs his loyal servants of the new method he will

use to accomplish his purpose.

5 In response to the rebellion in Eden, Jehovah purposed

to set up the Kingdom. (Matt. 25:34) At that dark point in

human history, Jehovah began to shed light on the instru-

ment that he would use to restore mankind and undo the

hurt caused by Satan's futile grab for power. (Gen. 3:14-19)

Even so, Jehovah did not disclose details about the King-

dom all a t once.

Jehovah Begins to Reveal Truths About the Kingdom

6 With the very first prophecy, Jehovah promised that a

certain offspring would crush the serpent. (Read Gene-

sis 3:lS.

However, the identities of that offspring and the

offspring of the serpent were no t revealed at that time. In

fact, Jehovah did not shed more light on such details for

some 2,000 years.[Zl

7 Eventually, Jehovah chose Abraham as the one

through whom the promised offspring would come. Abra-

ham was chosen because he listened to Uehovah's] voice.''

(Gen. 22: 18) We learn a key lesson from that fact-Jehovah

reveals his purpose only to those who have a reverential fear

of him.-Read Psalm 2514

8

When speaking to his friend Abraham through an an-

gel, Jehovah for the first time revealed this vital fact about

the promised offspring:

He

would be human. (Gen. 22:l.S-

17;Jas. 2:23) But how would this human crush the serpent?

Who was the serpent? Later revelations would shed light

on those questions.

9 Jehovah determined that the promised offspring

would come through Abraham's grandson Jacob, a man

who displayed great faith in God. (Gen.28:13-22) By means

of Jacob, Jehovah disclosed that the Promised One would

be a descendant ofJacob's son Judah. Jacob prophesied that

this descendant of Judah would receive a scepter, a rod

symbolizing royal authority, and that to this one 'the obe-

dience of the peoples would belong.' (Gen. 49:1, 10) With

that pronouncement, Jehovah indicated that the Promised

One would become a ruler, a king.

10 Some 650 years after Judah's day, Jehovah revealed

more about his purpose to King David, a descendant of

Judah. Jehovah described David as a man agreeable to

his heart. (1 Sam. 13:14; 1712; Acts 13:22) Because David

had a reverential fear of God, Jehovah chose to make a

5

How did Jehovah re-

spond to the rebellion

in

Eden?

6.

What did Jehovah

promise, but what did he

not reveal?

7

Why was Abraham cho-

sen, and what key lesson

do we learn from this?

8 9. What facts about

the promised offipring did

Jehovah reveal to Abraham

and Jacob?

lo 11. Why did Jehovah

reveal his purpose to David

and Daniel?

FOOTNOTE

[2]Although this amount o f ime may

seem extensive today, we m us t remern-

ber that huma n life spans used to be

much longer, there were only four life-

spans that overlapped from Adam t o

Abraha m. Adam s life overlapped the

life o f Lamech, Noah s father. Lamech s

life overlapped that ofShem , Noah s

son. Shem s life overlapped that o f

Abraham.-Gen. 5:5 31; :29; 1:10

;

257.

J E H O V H

R E V E L S

H I S

P U R P O S E





covenant with him, promising him that one of his descen-

dants would rule forever.-2 Sam.

78

2-16.

About 500 years later, Jehovah used the prophet Dan-

iel to disclose the exact year when this Anointed One, or

Messiah, would appear o n earth. (Dan. 9:25) Jehovah con-

sidered Daniel to be someone very precious. Why? Be-

cause Daniel deeply respected Jehovah and served him con-

tinually.-Dan. 6:16; 9:22, 23.

12 Even though Jehovah used such faithful prophets as

Daniel to record dozens of details about the promised off-

spring, the Messiah, it was not yet Jehovah's time for his

servants to understand the full significance of what he in-

spired them to write. For example, after being given avision

involving the establishment of God's Kingdom, Daniel was

told to seal up the prophecy until the time appointed by

Jehovah. At that future time, true knowledge would be-

come abundant. -Dan. 12:4.

Jesus Sheds Lighton God s Purpose

3

Jehovah clearly identified Jesus as the promised off-

spring, the descendant of David who would rule as King.

(Luke 1:30-33; 3:21, 22) When Jesus began his ministry, it

was as if the sun rose on mankind's knowledge about God's

purpose. (Matt. 4:13-17) For instance, Jesus removed any

doubt about the identity of the serpent mentioned at

Genesis 3:14, 15, calling the Devil a murderer and the fa-

ther of the lie. (John 8:44) In the revelation that he gave

to John, Jesus identified the original serpent as the one

called Devil and Satan. I31

Read

Revelation

1:l; 12:9.)

In

that same revelation, Jesus showed how he-the promised

offspring-will finally fulfill the prophecy given in Eden and

crush Satan out of existence.-Rev.

20:7-10.

14

AS we saw in Chapter

1

of this book, Jesus spoke ex-

tensively about the Kingdom. However, he did not always

disclose all the details his disciples wanted to know. Even

when he provided specific details, it was not until later

-sometimes many centuries later-that followers of Christ

began to discern the full significance of the truths their

Master had revealed. Consider some examples.

1s

In 33 C.E., Jesus made it clearly known that the co-

rulers who would assist the King of God's Kingdom would

be taken from the earth and raised to life as spiri t creatures

in heaven. His disciples, though, did not immediately un-

derstand this revelation. (Dan. 718; John 142-5) In that

same year, Jesus indicated by means of illustrations that

12.

What was Daniel told

to do, and

why

13 (a) Who was the

promised ofipring?

b) How did Jesus shed

light on the prophecy re-

corded at Genesis

:

151

14-16.

Did the first-century

disciples always discern

the full significance of the

truths Jesus revealed?

Explain.

FOOTNOTE

[3] The term Satan, when used

to iden t~fy n indwidual, appears 18

tlmes In the Hebrew scriptures Ho w-

ever, Satan appears more than 3

times in the Ch ristian Greek Scriptures.

Appropriately, the Hebrew Scriptures

did no t glve undue emphasis to Satan

bu t focused on identifying the Mess~ah

Wh en the Messiah arrived, he exposed

Satan Fully, a fac t recorded I n the

Christian Greek Scriptures.

J E H OVAH REVEALS

HIS

P UR PO S E



17 What must we do to

understand truths about

the Kingdom, but what is

also needed?

the Kingdom would not be established until a long time

after he ascended to heaven. (Matt. 2514, 19; Luke 19:11,

12) The disciples did not comprehend this vital point and

later asked the resurrected Jesus: Are you restoring the

kingdom to Israel at this time? Jesus, however, chose not

to reveal any more details at that time. (Acts 1:6,

7

Jesus

also taught that there would be other sheep, who would

not be part of the little flock of his corulers. (John 10:16;

Luke 12:32) Followers of Christ did not properly under-

stand the identity of those two groups until well after the

Kingdom was established in 1914.

16 Jesus could have told his disciples many things while

with them on earth, but he knew that they were not able

to bear them. (John 16:12) Without a doubt, much knowl-

edge about the Kingdom was revealed in the first century.

However, that was not yet the time for such knowledge to

become abundant.

True Knowledge Becomes Abundant

in the Time o f the End

7 Jehovah promised Daniel that during the time of the

end, many would rove about, and the true knowledge of

God's purpose would become abundant. (Dan. 12:4) Those

who want that knowledge must work hard to gain it. One

reference work says that a form of the Hebrew verb rove

about conveys the idea of someone examining a book very

carefully and thoroughly. No matter how thoroughly we

examine the Bible, though, we cannot properly understand

truths about the Kingdom unless Jehovah grants us that

privilege.-Read Matthew 13:ll.

I

Jacob f

About 1711 B.C.E

A H P R O G R E S S I V E L Y Born 1858 B C E

Judah

R E V E A L S

H I S

P U R P O S E

.

Promise given that

the offjprirrgwill

4000 B.C.E. 3000 B.C.E.

2000

B.C.E.

be a king

l OO

I -

I -

.

..

.... ..,.... ..

i

4026

B.C.E.

1943

B.C.E. i About

1070

B.C.E.

Adam cre ted Abraham

ber,Jehovah The

ofipring

promise sw

will be a human

aWp ig thatwill

descendant o f

crush the~jepent Abraham

i . .



8

Just as Jehovah progressively revealed truths about

the Kingdom in the period leading up to 1914, he contin-

ues to do so during the time of the end. As Chapters 4

and 5 of this book will show, over the past 100 years, God's

people have had to adjust their understanding on a num-

ber of occasions. Does that fact mean that they do not have

Jehovah's backing? On the contrary He supports them.

Why? Because those who fear Jehovah have displayed two

qualities that he loves-fith and humility. (Heb. 11:6; Jas.

4:6

Jehovah's servants have faith that all the promises in

God's Word will come true. They show humility when they

admit that they misunderstood exactly how those promis-

es would be fulfilled. That humble attitude is reflected in

the March 1,1925, issue of The atchTower which said: "We

know that the Lord is his own interpreter, that he will in-

terpret his Word to his people in his own good way and in

his own due time."

9

When the Kingdom was established in 1914, God's

people had only partial knowledge of how prophecies re-

lating to the Kingdom would be carried out. (1 Cor. 13:

9, 10, 12)

In

our zeal to see God's promises fulfilled, we

have on occasion drawn wrong conclusions. Over the years,

the wisdom of another statement made in The atch Tower

quoted in the preceding paragraph has become apparent.

The article stated: "It seems to be a safe rule to follow, that

prophecy can not be understood by us until it is fulfilled

or in the course of fulfillment." Now that we are deep

into the time of the end, many Kingdom prophecies have

been and are being fulfilled. Because God's people are hum-

ble and willing to be corrected, Jehovah has allowed our

18 OW

have those who

fearJehovah displayed faith

and humility?

19. What has Jehovah now

allowed us to understand,

and why?

The Lord. .

.

will

interpret his

Word

to

his people

in

his

own

good way

and

in

his own

due time

,-

-

I

...........

..................................... ...

Ab oue539 B C E i 33 C E : 1914C E

-

.

T i e

th

End

1 Jesusfeveals that the corulers Knowledge d t h e

i who will assist the King o f God s

i

Kingdom begins

to

Kingdom will be taken from the

become abundant

j earth and raised to li

as spirit

.

.

-

~wixir

n eart

, -, ..-

7



20, 21.

How did refine-

ments

in

understanding

affect first-century Chris-

tians?

22.

How do you feel

about clarifications

in

our

understanding of Cod's

purpose?

FOOTNOTE

[ ]

For

a discussion

of

some

of

hese

refinements n understanding see

the follow ing issues ofThe

Watchtower

Oc tob er 15 1995 pages 23-28;

Janua ry 15 2008 pages

20-24;

July 15

2008 pages 17-21; July 15 2013

pages 9-14.

understanding of his purpose to become more complete.

True knowledge has become abundant

Refinements in Understanding Sift Cod s People

2

When Jehovah refines our understanding of truth,

our heart conbt ion is tested. Will faith and humility move

us to accept the changes? Christians living in the middle

of the first century faced such a test. For example, imagine

that you were a Jewish Christian living at that time. You

deeply respect the Mosaic Law and take pride in your na-

tional heritage. Now you receive inspired letters from the

apostle Paul stating that the Law is no longer binding and

that Jehovah has rejected natural Israel in favor of gather-

ing a spiritual Israel made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

(Rom. 10:12; 11:17-24; Gal. 6:15,

16;

Col. 2:13, 14) How

would you have responded?

21 Humble Christians accepted Paul's inspired explana-

tion and were blessed by Jehovah. (Acts 13:48) Others re-

sented the refinements and wanted to cling to their own

understanding. (Gal. 57-12) If they would not change their

viewpoint, those individuals would lose the opportunity to

be corulers with Christ.-2 Pet. 2:l.

22

In recent decades, Jehovah has refined our understand-

ing of the Kingdom. For example, he has helped us to see

more clearly when those who will be subjects of the King-

dom are to be separated from unresponsive ones as sheep

are separated from goats. He has also taught us when the

full number of the 144,000 will be filled, what the Kingdom

illustrations given by Jesus mean, and when the last of the

anointed will be raised to heavenly life.[41 How do you re-

spond to such clarifications? Is your faith strengthened? Do

you see them as evidence that Jehovah continues to educate

his humble people? The following material in this book will

reinforce your conviction that Jehovah is progressively re-

vealing his purpose to those who fear him.

How Real

Is

Was

the Messianic Kingdom part of God's original

purpose? Explain.

the

Kingdom

How did Jesusshed light on the Kingdom?

to

YOU?

What qualities must we cultivate if the Kingdom is to

COD'S

K I N G O M

RULES



Jehovah Exalts

His

Name

ON cool but sunny Tuesday morning, December 2,1947,

a small group of anointed brothers from Bethel in Brook-

lyn, New York, set ou t to accomplish a huge task. The work

was exacting, bu t for the next 12 years, they kept at it. At

long last, on Sunday, March 13, 1960, they completed the

final text for a new Bible translation. Three months later,

on June

18,

1960, Brother Nathan Knorr released the final

volume of the complete New World Translation of the Holy

Scriphcres to a thrilled convention audience in Manchester,

England. The speaker well expressed the feelings of all in

attendance when he exclaimed: 'Today is a day for rejoicing

on the part of Jehovah's Witnesses the wide world over '

One outstanding feature of that new translation was a

special cause for joy-the frequent use of God's personal

name.

Many translations of the Bible leave out God's name.

But Jehovah's anointed servants took a stand against Sa-

tan's scheme to blot the name of God ou t of human mem-

ory. The introduction of the New World Translation released

that day stated: "The foremost feature of this translation is

the restoration of the divine name to its rightful place." In-

deed, the New World Translation uses God's personal name,

Jehovah, more than 7,000 times. How outstandingly this

translation has exalted the name of our heavenly Father

-Jehovah

In earlier years, the Bible Students understood God's

name to mean "I am that

I

am." Ex. 3:14, King James Ver-

sion Thus, The Watch Tower of January 1,1926, noted: "The

name Jehovah signifies the self-existing One, . the One

who had no beginning and no end." However, by the time

the translators of the New World Translation began their

work, Jehovah had helped his people to discern that his

FOCUS

OF

CH PTER

God s people give

due prominence to

the

divine name

I, 2. How does the ew

WorldTranslationexalt God's

name?

3 (a) What did our broth-

ers discern about the

meaning of God's name?

b)

How should we under-

stand Exodus 3:13,14?

(See the box "The Meaning

of Cod's Name.")

J E H O V A H E XA LT S H I S N A M E





name signifies not merely that he is self-existent but fore-

most that he is a God of purpose and activity. They learned

that the name Jehovah literally means He Causes to Be-

come. Yes, he caused the universe and intelligent beings

to come into existence, and he continues to cause his will

and purpose to become a reality. Why, though, is it so im-

portant that God's name be exalted, and how can we have

a share in exalting it?

The Sanctification of God s Name

4 Jehovah wants his name to be exalted. In fact, his pri-

mary purpose is to sanctify his name, as is evident in Jesus'

first request in his model prayer: Let your name be sanc-

tified.') (Matt. 6:9) When making that petition, for what are

we praying?

As we learned in Chapter

1

of this publication, the re-

quest Let your name be sanctified is one of three peti-

tions in Jesus' model prayer that have to do with Jehovah's

purpose. The other two are: Let your Kingdom come. Let

your will take place. (Matt. 6:lO) Hence, just as we ask for

Jehovah to take action to cause his Kingdom to come and

his will to take place, so we ask for Jehovah to take action

to sanctify his name. In other words, we are asking Jehovah

to act to clear his name of all the reproach that has been

heaped upon it since the rebellion in Eden. How will Jeho-

vah respond to such a prayer? He states: I will certainly

sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the na-

tions. (Ezek.

36:23; 38:23) At Armageddon, when he re-

moves wickedness, Jehovah will sanctify his name before the

eyes of all creation.

6 Throughout history, Jehovah has allowed his servants

to share in sanctifying his name. Of course, we cannot make

God's name more sacred. It is already sacred, or holy, in the

absolute sense. So how can we sanctify it? Isaiah states: 'ye-

hovah of armies-he is the One you should reg rd as holy.

And Jehovah himself said concerning his people: They will

sanctify my name . and they will

st nd

n we of the God

of Israel. (Isa. 8:13; 29:23) Thus, we sanctify God's name

by regarding it as separate from and higher than

all

other

names, by respecting what it represents,

and

by helping

others to regard it as holy. We especially demonstrate our

awe and reverence for God's name when we recognize Jeho-

vah as our Ruler and obey him with all our heart.-Prov. 3:l;

Rev. 4:11.

4, 5 (a) For what do we

ask when we pray: Let

your name be sanctified ?

(b) How and when

will

Cod sanctify his name?

6.

How can we share

n

sanctiqing Cod's name?

JEHOVAH EXALTS HIS NAME





G O D ' S

N A M E

THE

nameJehovah comes from a He- something faith-strengthening abouc.

brew verb that means to become.

the kind o fCod be is,.someth~ngchat

Some gcholars feel that in this instance

may also be rek&d.i~y,rhe meirljt pf

the verb is used in its causativeform.

God's mione is rhus understood by

chooses to ecome whatever

is

necessary

to fulfill his promises to his people.

asked: Suppose

I

go to the Israelites

However, while the name Jehovah may

and say to them, 'The God o fyour

include this idea, i t is no t limited to

forefathers has sent me to you,' and

what he himself chooses to become.

they say to me, 'What is his name;

t also includes what he causes his cre-

Whushould say to

them)n

ation t o become in the accomplish-

answered: I Will Become W hat

ment o f his purpose.f

Choose to Become.

Note that Moses was not askingJe-

, OO~NOT

hovah to reveal his name. Moses and

the Israelites already knew God's nam

well.

Moses wanted Jehovah to reveal

JEHOVAH EX L TS HIS NAME



- .

~ ~

. ' < .

Throughouttheyears,thefrontcoveroftli~eW~t~htowermagazinegave

.

more and more importance to the nameJehovah. Note some o f he adjustments:

-..

.

..

-.

that sccurred on the magazine's cover.

.

.

. . .

,

.'~* L 8 +~,-:.:

. .

. ,(, i

~

.

. . . I ~. , I , , : ::. , . I

,

. ~.

. .

,,,

. , 4

Zion s Watch Tower,July

1879

From the outset, the magazine used

R

,

:

Cod's name. The second issue stated:

I,

'Zion's Watch Tower' has, we believe,

JEHOVAH for

i t s

backer.

, .

ti

7 ,7

r

The Watchtower,

October 15 1931

,dfit 2\ .

The nameJehovah and the scripture

Isaiah43:12 became part o f he cover.

of

The Watchtower,

January1 1939

The nameJehovah appeared in two

places on the cover, together with Isa

iah 43:12 and Ezekiel 35 : lS .

The Watchtower,

March 1 1939

. .

.

The nameJehovahappeared on the

;

cover in three places; also starting with

::

j

this issue, the full title o f he magazine

became The Watchtower nnouncing

In addition, starting in the late 1920's

and continuing for over 20 years, the .

first paragraph o f he first article in

each issue o fThe Watchtower contained

the

namejehovah. What a fine remind-

er for Cod's people to exalt Cod's

GOD'S KINGDOM RULES







17 In about 44 C.E., Christ's disciples were "by divine

providence called Christians." (Acts 11:26) Initially, that

name was distinctive, for it referred to true Christians only.

(1 Pet. 4:16) However, as indicated in Jesus' parable of the

wheat and the weeds, Satan succeeded in his scheme to ap-

ply the unique name Christian to all kinds of imitation

Christians. Consequently, for many centuries, true Chris-

tians did not stand out clearly from imitation Christians.

But that started to change during "the harvest season,"

which began in 1914. Why? Because angels began separat-

ing imitation Christians from genuine ones.-Matt.

13:30,

39-41.

8

After the appointment of the faithful slave in 1919,Je-

hovah helped his people to discern the work he had assigned

them to do. They quickly saw that preaching from house to

house set them apart from all imitation Christians. Once

they realized that fact, it was not long before they under-

stood that the designation "Bible Students" was not distinc-

tive enough. Their prime purpose in life was not simply to

We left

home

study the Bible but to witness about God and to honor and

exalt his name. SO,what name would be fitting for the work

as B i b l e S t u d e n t s ,

they were doing? That question was answered in 1931.

but w e r e t u r n e d

19

In July 1931, some 15,000 Bible Students arrived in

Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., for a convention. Seeing the con-

asJehovah 's

vention program, they were intrigued by the two large let- Witnesses

ters and printed on its front cover. 'What do those let-

ters mean?' they wondered. Some thought they meant, lJust

Watch'; others, 'Just Wait.' Then, on Sunday, July 26, Broth-

er Joseph Rutherford presented a resolution containing the

powerful statement: "We desire to be known

as

and called

by the name, to wit, Jehovah's witnesses. At that moment,

ll in attendance understood the meaning of those puz-

zling letters-they stood for Jehovah's Witnesses, a Scrip-

tural name based on Isaiah 43:lO

20

The audience responded to that resolution with a tre-

mendous shout and long applause. By radio, that enthu-

siastic reaction in Columbus was heard halfway around

the globe Ernest and Naomi Barber in Australia recalled:

"When the applause went up in America, the brothers in

Melbourne jumped to their feet and kept on applauding.

We will never forget it "[Zl

God s Name

s

Being Exalted Worldwide

21 Having the Scriptural name Jehovah's Witnesses gave

God's servants added strength to share in the preaching

17.

What scheme did Satan

succeed in carrying out?

18 What helped our broth-

ers to see that

a

new name

was needed?

19, 20. (a) What exciting

resolution was made at a

convention n

1931

(b) How did our brothers

react to the adoption of

the new name?

21. How did the new name

stimulate the preaching

work?

FOOTNOTE

[2]

See

Chapter 7, pages 72-74

or

de-

tails about that use of th e radio.

J E H O V H E X L TS

H I S

N M E



22.

What proves that Jeho-

vah's people have a distinct

identity?

23.

According to Psalm

121:5

what important

truth aboutJehovah gives

us much strength?

work. Edward and Jessie Grimes, a pioneer couple in the

United States who attended the 1931 convention in Colum-

bus, observed: "We left home as Bible Students, but we

returned as Jehovah's Witnesses. We were happy that we

now had a name that helped us to magnify the name of

our God." After that convention, some Witnesses used a

new method to do just that. They introduced themselves to

householders by handing them a card with the message:

"One of JEHOVAH'S witnesses preaching the Kingdom of

JEHOVAH our God." Yes, God's people were proud to bear

the name Jehovah, and they were ready to proclaim its sig-

nificance far and wide.-Isa. 12:4.

Many years have passed since Jehovah moved our

anointed brothers to embrace their distinctive name. Dur-

ing the intervening years, has Satan been able to obscure the

identity of God's people? Has he succeeded in absorbing us

into the world's religious landscape? No, indeed On the

contrary, our distinct identity as witnesses of God stands

out more than ever. Read Micah :s; Malachi 3:18.) In

fact, we have become so closely associated with God's name

that anyone who freely uses it today is quickly identified as

one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Instead of being obscured by a

range of mountainlike false religions, Jehovah's true wor-

ship is "firmly established

bove

the top of the mountains."

(Isa.

2:2) Today, Jehovah's worship and his sacred name are,

indeed, highly exalted.

3

HOWstrengthening it is to know that Jehovah will

shield us against Satan's present and future attacks (Ps.

121:s) With good reason we echo the sentiments of the

psalmist who wrote: "Happy is the nation whose God is

Jehovah, the people he has chosen as his own possession."

-Ps. 33:12.

HOW eal IS

what has the Kingdom accomplished regarding Cod's

name?

the

Kingdom

How do you share

in

sanctifjlingCod's name?

t

You?

Why are you proud to bear Cod's personal name and eager

to tell others about its significance?

G O D S K I N G D O M

RULES



The King Shines Light

on

the

Kingdom

IMAGINE

that

an

experienced guide is leading you on a

tour of a wondrous and beautiful city. The city is new to

you and to those with you, so you hang o n to the guide's

every word. At times, you and your fellow tourists wonder

excitedly about some of the city's features that you have not

yet seen. When you ask your guide about such things, how-

ever, he withholds his comments until key moments, often

just when a certain sight is coming into view. In time, you

grow ever more impressed with his wisdom, for he tells you

what you need to know right when you need to know it.

True Christians are in a situation similar to that of the

tourists. We are eagerly learning about the most wondrous

of cities, the city having real foundations, the Kingdom

of God. (Heb. 11:lO) When Jesus was on earth, he person-

ally guided his followers, leading them to a deeper knowl-

edge of that Kingdom. Did he answer all their questions

and tell them everything about that Kingdom at once? No.

He said:

I

still have many things to say to you, but you are

no t able to bear them now. (John 16:12) As the wisest of

guides, Jesus never burdened his disciples with knowledge

that they were not prepared to handle.

Jesus spoke the words recorded at John 16:12 on the

final night of his earthly life. After his death, how would he

continue to teach faithful people about God's IOngdom?

He assured his apostles: The spirit of the tru th

.

will

guide you into

all

the truth. rll (John 16:13) We may think

of the holy spirit

a s

a patient guide. The spirit is Jesus'

means of teaching his followers whatever they need to know

about God's Kingdom-right when they need to know it.

4

Let us consider how Jehovah's holy spirit has been

guiding sincere Christians into greater knowledge about

that Kingdom. First, we will consider our understanding of

when God's Kingdom began to rule. Then, we will examine

FOCUS O F CHAPTER

God's people come to

recognize vital truths

about the Kingdom,

its rulers, and its

subjects, as well as the

requirement o f oyalty

I,

2

In

what sense did

Jesus prove to be a wise

guide?

3 4.

(a) How has Jesus

continued to teach faithful

people about God's King-

dom? (b) What will we

consider n this chapter?

FOOTNOTE

l ]

According t o one reference work,

the Greek word for guide in that

verse means 'to show the road.

T H E K IN G S H I N E S L I G H T

O N

T H E

K I N G O M



5 6. (a) The Bible Stu-

dents held what mistaken

views about the establish-

ment of the Kingdom and

the harvest? (b) Why

should such mistaken views

not cast doubt on whether

Jesus was guiding his fol-

lowers?

7. Cod's people were

blessed with what flashes

of spiritual light?

8, 9. (a) How did the

importance of God's King-

dom come to the fore?

(b) What questions will we

consider?

FOOTNOTE

[2] eforethen i t was thought

th t

the vision pointed to a war beween

pagan Rome

nd

papal Rome.

the identity and hopes of the Kingdom's rulers and its sub-

jects. Finally, we will see how Christ's followers gained a

clearer understanding of what loyalty to the Kingdom re-

quires.

Understandinga ivotal Year

As we saw in Chapter 2 of this book, the Bible Stu-

dents spent decades pointing out that the year 1914 would

be significant in fulfilling Bible prophecy. However, at that

time they believed that Christ's presence had begun in 1874,

tha t he had begun to rule in heaven in 1878, and that the

Kingdom would not be fully set up until October 1914. The

harvest would extend from 1874 to 1914 and would culmi-

nate in the gathering of the anointed to heaven. Do mis-

taken ideas such as these cast doubt on whether Jesus was

guiding those faithful ones by means of holy spirit?

Not a t all Think again of our opening illustration.

Would the premature ideas and eager questions of the

tourists cast doubt on the reliability of their guide? Hard-

ly Similarly, although God's people sometimes try to work

out details of Jehovah's purpose before it is time for the

holy spirit to guide them to such truths, it is clear that Je-

sus is leadng them. Thus, faithful ones prove willing to be

corrected and humbly adjust their views.-Jas. 46

7

In the years following 1919, God's people were blessed

with more and more flashes of spiritual light. Read

Psalm

9211.)

In 1925, a landmark article appeared in

The Watch

Tower entitled "Birth of the Nation." It laid out convinc-

ing Scriptural evidence that the Messianic Kingdom had

been born in 1914, fulfilling the prophetic picture of God's

heavenly woman giving birth,

as

recorded in Revelation

chapter 12.[21The article further showed that the persecu-

tion and trouble that came upon Jehovah's people during

those war years were clear signs that Satan had been hurled

down from heaven, "having great anger, knowing that he

has a short period of time."-Rev. 12:12.

How important is the Kingdom? In 1928,

7 be

Watch

Tower began to stress that the Kingdom was more impor-

tant than personal salvation by means of the ransom. In-

deed, it is by means of the Messianic Kingdom that Jeho-

vah will sanctift. his name, vindicate his sovereignty, and

carry out all his purposes regarding mankind.

9 Who would rule with Christ in that Kingdom? Who

would be the earthly subjects of that Kingdom? And what

work should occupy Christ's followers?

GOD ' S K I N G D OM

RULES



The Harvest Work Focuses on the Anointed

10

Decades before 1914, true Christians already under-

stood that 144,000 faithful followers of Christ would rule

with him in heaven.[3] Those Bible Students saw that the

number was literal and that it began to be filled back in

the first century C.E.

11

What, though, were those prospective members of

Christ's bride assigned to do while they were yet on the

earth? They saw that Jesus had emphasized the preaching

work and had connected i t to a period of harvest. (Matt. 9:

37; John 43 . 5 As we noted in Chapter 2, for a time they

held tha t the harvest period would last 40 years, climaxing

with the gathering of the anointed to heaven. However, be-

cause the work continued after 40 years elapsed, more clar-

ification was needed. Now we know that the harvest sea-

son-the season for separating wheat from weeds, faithful

anointed Christians from imitation Christians-began in

1914. The time had come to focus attention on the gath-

ering of the remaining number of that heavenly class

12

From

1919

onward, Christ kept guiding the faithful

and discreet slave to emphasize the preaching work. He had

made that assignment in the first century. (Matt. 28:19,

20) He also indicated what qualities his anointed followers

would need in order to fulfill that preaching commission.

How so? In his illustration of the ten virgins, he showed

that the anointed would have to remain watchful, spiritu-

ally alert, if they were to reach their ultimate goal of shar-

ing in the great wedding feast in heaven, when Christ would

be united with his "bride" of 144,000. (Rev. 21:2) Then, in

his illustration of the talents, Jesus taught tha t his anoint-

ed servants would be diligent in carrying out the preach-

ing work he had entrusted to them.-Matt. 251-30.

10 What have God's peo-

ple long understood about

the 144 000?

11

How did prospective

members of Christ's bride

progress n knowledge

about their earthly assign-

ment?

12, 13

OW

have Jesus'

illustrations of the ten vir-

gins and of the talents been

fulfilled

n

the last days?

FOOTNOTE

[3]

InJune 1880 Zion sWaf Tower

suggested th at the 144 000 w ould be

fleshlyJews conve rted

by

1914 How-

ever later in 1880 an unde rstand ing

was published tha t more closely corre-

sponds t o the one we have held

cons istently since then.







18 How have Christ's fol-

lowers focused their efforts

in the ministry, and with

what result?

19

How can we have a

part in enlarging the great

crowd?

20 Satan's organization

is composed ofwhat ele-

ments, and how is

Christian loyalty involved?

21

(a) How has the faith-

ful slave warned Cod's

people about big business?

(b) In 1963,what did he

atchtower

reveal about

"Babylon the Great"?

When the speaker, J.

F.

Rutherford, asked: "Will

all

those

who have the hope of living forever on the earth please

stand?" more than half the audience rose to their feet "Be-

hold ') he declared. "The great multitude " Many were deep-

ly moved to understand at last their hope for the future.

18 Ever since then, Christ has guided his people to focus

their efforts on gathering the prospective members of this

great crowd tha t will emerge, alive and safe, from the great

tribulation. At first, the ingathering did not seem impres-

sive. Brother Rutherford once even commented: "It looks

as if the 'great multitude' is not going to be so great af-

ter all." Of course, we now know how greatly Jehovah has

blessed the harvest since then Under the guidance of Jesus

and the holy spirit, both the anointed and their compan-

ions of the "other sheep'' have become just what Jesus fore-

told-"one flock" serving together under "one shepherd."

19 The vast majority of faithful people will live forever

in an earthly paradise, governed by Christ and his 144,000

corulers. Is it not a pleasure to contemplate the way Christ

has guided God's people to such a clear Scriptural hope for

the future? What a privilege we have to share that hope

with those we meet in the ministry Let us be as active

as

our circumstances will allow so that the great crowd will

continue to swell in numbers, raising an ever greater shout

of praise to Jehovah's name -Read

uke

10:2

What

Loyalty

to the

Kingdom

equires

2

As God's people continued to learn about the King-

dom, they also needed to grasp fully what it means to be

loyal to that heavenly government. In this regard, in 1922,

he Watch ozuer pointed out that there are two organiza-

tions at work, Jehovah's and Satan's, with Satan's being

made up of commercial, religious, and political elements.

Those who are loyal to God's Kingdom under Christ must

not compromise their loyalty through improper involve-

ment with any aspect of Satan's organization. (2 Cor. 6:17)

What does that mean?

21

The spiritual food from the faithful slave has con-

sistently exposed the corruption of big business and has

warned God's people not to give in to its rampant materi-

alism. (Matt. 6:24) Likewise, our publications have kept the

spotlight focused on the religious part of Satan's organiza-

tion. In 1963, he Wdtchtower clearly showed that "Babylon

the Great" represented not only Christendom but also the

whole world empire of false religion. Thus, as we will see

GOD S

K I N G D OM

RULES



numerous

athanH

Knorr

sseph F

Rutherford

d aydenC Cmingto~



it

s o h re the

I

22.

During World War

I

how did many of God's

people understand the ex-

hortation of Romans 13:1?

23, 24. What was our un-

derstandingof Romans

13:l duringWorld War II

and to what more accurate

view were Christ's followers

guided?

more fully in Chapter 10of this book, God's people in every

land and culture have been helped to "get out of her," cleans-

ing themselves of all false religious practices.-Rev. 18:2, 4.

22

What, though, about the political part of Satan's or-

ganization?Could true Christians take part in the wars and

conflicts of the nations? During World War I the Bible Stu-

dents generally understood that Christ's followers should

have no share in killing their fellow humans. (Matt. 2652)

However, for many, the exhortation found at Romans 13:l

to be obedient to "the superior authorities" meant that

they should join the army, wear soldiers' uniforms, and

even bear arms; however,when asked to kill the enemy, they

should shoot into the air.

3 Just as World War I1 was erupting in 1939, The Watch

tow r

featured an in-depth discussion of neutrality. The ar-

ticle showed clearly that Christians would have no part at

all in the wars and conflicts of the nations of Satan's world.

What timely guidance Christ's followerswere thus protect-

ed from the horrific bloodguilt that clung to the nations

in that war. Beginning in 1929, however, our publications

had also reasoned that the superior authorities of Romans

13:l were not the secular rulers at all, but Jehovah and Je-

sus. more accurate understanding was still needed.

GOD S

KINGDOM

R U L E S



z

The holy spirit guided Christ's followers to just such

a view in 1962, when landmark articles on Romans 13:l-7

were published in the November 15 and December issues

of The

Watchtower

Finally, God's people grasped the prin-

ciple of relative subjection that Jesus had revealed in his fa-

mous words: "Pay back Caesar's things to Caesar but God's

things to God.'' (Luke 20:25) True Christians now under-

stand that the superior authorities are the secular powers

of this world and that Christians must be subject to them.

However, such subjection is relative. When the secular au-

thorities ask us to disobey Jehovah God, then we answer as

did the apostles of old: We must obey God

as

ruler rath-

er than men.'' (Acts 5:29) In Chapters 13 and 14 of this

book, we will learn more about how God's people have put

the principle of Christian neutrality into action.

5

Think of all that Christ's followers have been taught

about the Kingdom over this past century. We have learned

when God's Kingdom was established in heaven and how

important it is. We have a clear picture of the two hopes

offered to faithful people, the heavenly hope and the earth-

Iy hope. And we know how to demonstrate our loyalty to

God's fingdom while being in relative subjection to world-

ly authorities. Ask yourself, 'Would

I

know any of those

precious truths if Jesus Christ had not guided his faith-

ful slave on earth to grasp them and then to teach them?'

m a t a blessing to have Christ and the holy spirit guid-

ing

us

25

Why do you appreciate

t h e guidance

of

the holy

spirit

in

understanding

God's Kingdom?

What movesyou to help others become earthly qu,bjecaci~ f

the Kingdom?

What balanced view do we now have regarding loyalty to

the Kingdom and subjection to t h e superiorauth.orities?

What convinces you that Christ has been using holy

spirit to guide his people in their understanding

o

God's

Kingd~rn?

THE K ING SHINES L IGHT ON THE K I NGDOM



Spreading the

ood

News





F O C U S O F C H A P T E R

The King raises up an

army

o f

preachers

I, 2.

What great work did

Jesus foretell, and what im

portant question arises?

3

What confidence did Je-

sus express, and where did

he get such confidence?

4.

What work did Jehovah

invite the Israelites to sup-

port, and how did they

respond?

People Who Preach

Ministers Offer

Themselves Willingly

POLITICAL RULERS often make promises that go unful-

filled. Even those with the best of intentions may be un-

able to carry out their promises. In refreshing contrast,

the Messianic fing, Jesus Christ, always proves true to his

word.

After he became IOng in 1914, Jesus was ready to fulfill

a prophecy he had made some 1,900 years earlier. Shortly

before he died, Jesus foretold: "This good news of the King-

dom will be preached in all the inhabited earth." (Matt. 24:

14) The fulfillment of those words would be part of the

sign of his presence in Kingdom power. However, an impor-

tant question arises: How would the King be able to raise

up an army of willing preachers in the last days-a time pe-

riod that would be marked by a selfish, loveless, and irreli-

gious spirit? (Matt. 24:12; 2 Tim. 3:l-5) We need to know,

for the answer to that question involves all true Christians.

Look again at Jesus' prophetic words. Do the words

will be

preached

express confidence? Indeed, they do Je-

sus was sure that he would have willing supporters in the

last days. Where

&d

he get such confidence? He learned i t

from his Father. (John 12:45; 14:9) In his prehuman exis-

tence, Jesus observed firsthand th at Jehovah has confidence

in the willing spirit of His worshippers. Let us see how Je-

hovah expressed that confidence.

Your People Wil l M e r

Themselves

Willingly

Recall what happened when Jehovah directed Moses to

construct the tabernacle, or tent, that was to be the center

of worship for the nation of Israel. Jehovah, through Mo-

ses, invited all the people to support the work. Moses told

them: "Let everyone with a willing heart bring a contribu-

tion for Jehovah." The result? The people "continued to

bring

.

voluntary offerings, morning after morning."

G O D S

K I N G D O M

RULES1



They brought so much that they had to be "restrained from

bringing in anything else" (Ex. 35:s; 36:3,6) The Israelites

lived up to the confidence thatJehovah had placed in them.

Did Jehovah expect to find such a willing spirit among

his worshippers in the last days?Yes More than 1,000years

before Jesus was born on earth, Jehovah inspired David to

write about the time when the Messiah would begin to

rule.

(Read

salm 110:l-3. Jesus, the newly installed King,

would have enemies who would oppose him. Yet, he would

also have an army of supporters. They would not have to

be forced into serving the King. Even the young among

them would offer themselves freely, becoming a multitude

so great that they could aptly be compared to the countless

dewdrops that blanket the ground in the morning sun.[ll

6 Jesus knew that the prophecy recorded in Psalm 110

applied to him. (Matt. 22:42-45) Hence, he had every rea-

son to be confident that he would have loyal supporters

who would offer themselves willingly to preach the good

news in all the earth. What do the historical facts show?

Has the King, in fact, raised up an army of willing preach-

ers in these last days?

My Privilegeand Duty Is to Announce That Message

7 Shortly after he was installed as King,Jesus took steps

to prepare his followersfor the vast work to be done. As we

saw in Chapter 2, he did an inspection and a cleansing work

from 1914 to early 1919. (Mal. 3:l-4) Then, in 1919, he ap-

pointed the faithful slave to take the lead among his fol-

lowers. (Matt. 24:45) Especially from that time onward,

5

6. According to Psalm

11O:l-3, what spirit did

Jehovah and thus Jesus ex-

pect to find among true

worshippers in

t h

t im of

the end?

7

After

h

was installed

as King, what steps did

Jesus take to prepare his

supporters for the work

ahead?

FOOTNOTE

[ ]

In

the Bible dew is associated with

abundance.-Gen.

27:28; Mic

57.



lo.How did conventions

give impetus to the preach-

ing

work? Give an example.

(See also t he box "Early

Conventions That Cave

Impetus to the Preaching

Work.")

11

12

What did

The Watch

Tower

in 192 say as to

when the work that Jesus

foretold would be done?

FOOTNOTE

[2] The pamphlet

To

Whom

the

Work

Is Entrustedexpla~ned:

Sh e

Golden ge

work IS a house-to-house canvass with

the kingdom message. n add~cion

to the canvass, a copy o f lhe GoldenAge

is to be left ac each home, whether a

subsu~ptions taken or not. For years

thereafter, the brothers were encour-

aged to offer people subscriphons to

The Golden

ge

as well as to The Watch

Towe : Beginning February 1,1940, Je-

hovah's people were encouraged o

distribute ~ndlvrdual oples o f

he

rnag-

azlnes and to report the number

placed.

that slave began dispensing spiritual food-by means of

convention discourses and printed publications-that re-

peatedly emphasized the responsibility of all Christians to

have a

personal

share in preaching.

8

Conventiondiscourses.

Eager for direction, the Bible

Students gathered at Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A., from Sep-

tember 1 to 8,1919, for their first major convention follow-

ing World War I. On the second day, Brother Rutherford

gave a discourse in which he pointedly told the delegates:

A Christian's mission on earth

.

s to proclaim the mes-

sage of the Lord's kingdom."

9

The climax of that convention came three days later

when Brother Rutherford delivered the talk entitled "Ad-

dress to Co-laborers," which was published in

The Watch

Tower under the title "Announcing the IOngdom." He stat-

ed: "In sober moments a Christian naturally asks himself,

Why am I on the earth? And the answer of necessity must

be, The Lord has graciously made me his ambassador to

bear the divine message of reconciliation to the world, and

my privilege and duty is to announce that message."

1 In that historic discourse, Brother Rutherford an-

nounced that a new magazine,

The Golden Age

(now called

Awake ),

would be published for use in directing people to

the l n g d o m as mankind's only hope. He then asked how

many of those in the audience wanted to have a share in

distributing this journal. report on the convention ex-

plained: "The response was an inspiring scene. Six thou-

sand people, as one person, arose."[21 Clearly, the King had

willing supporters who were eager to proclaim his King-

dom

11

Printed publications. Through the pages of

The

Watch Tower,

the significance of the work Jesus fore-

told-namely, the preaching of the good news of the King-

dom-became clearer and clearer. Consider some examples

from the early 1920's.

12 What message would be proclaimed in fulfillment of

Matthew 24:14?When would that work be done?TheJuly

1

1920, issue of

The Watch Tower,

in the article entitled "Gos-

pel of the Kingdom," explained the message, stating: "The

good news here is concerning the end of the old order

of things and the establishment of Messiah's kingdom.''

The article clearly showed when this message would be

preached, saying: "This message must be delivered between

the time of the great world war [World War I] and the time

of the 'great tribulation.'" Hence, the article noted: "Now

GOD'S KINGDOM RULES



E RLY C O N V E N T I O N S T H T G VE

I M P E T U S T O T H E PRE CHING WORK

1919

edar

Point Ohio U.S.A.

The program highlighted that a Christian's

vocation was to announce the incomingglo-

rious kingdomo f Messiah. An announce-

ment was made that a new magazine,

The

GoldenAge, would be published for use in di-

recting people to the Kingdom.To organize

and give impetusto the work, a service direc-

tor would be appointed for each class, or

congregation, o f Bible Students.

1922 Cedar Point Ohio. During the dis-

course entitled The Kingdom, the speaker

urged: Advertise, advertise, advertise the

Kingand his Kingdom. One o f hose pres-

ent, Anna E Zimmerman, later recalled:

Our missionwas now loud and clear-to

advertise the King and the Kingdom, and we

went forth from that convention and did ust

that.

1931 Columbus Ohio.The Bible Students

adopted a new name-Jehovah's Witnesses.

That name clearly identified the responsibility

o f hose who worshipJehovah, namely, to

proclaim his name and Kingdom.

1935 Washington D.C.

The great mul-

titude, or great crowd, was identified as

consistingo f individualswho have the pros-

pect o f livingforever on earth. (Rev. 29 77;

KingJames Version With their understanding

thus clarified,Jehovah's people discerned

that the scope o f he preachingwork before

them was indeed great.



13 How did he Watch

ower in 1921 appeal to the

willing spirit of anointed

Christians?

14, IS.

In 1922, he

Watch

ower urged anointed

Christians to reach others

in

what way?

16.

How did some of t he

elected elders react to t he

idea that all should share

n

the ministry?

17, 18 How did most

n

the congregations respond

to the direction from head-

quarters, and how have

millions responded over

the past 100 years?

FOOTNOTE

[3] At t ha t time elders were elected

democratically by the congregation.

Therefore a congreg tion could refuse

to vote for men who were opposed to

the m inistry. The change to theocratic

appointment o f elders

will

be dis-

cussed

in

Chapter

12.

is the time . . to proclaim far and wide in Christendom

this good news.

13

Would God's people be pressured into doing the work

that Jesus foretold? No. The article Be of Good Courage,

in the March 15,1921, issue of The Watch Tower appealed to

the willing spirit of anointed Christians. Each one was en-

couraged to ask himself: Is it not my greatest privilege, as

well as my duty, to participate in this work? The article

went on to say: We feel assured that when you do see it [as

a privilege to share in the work] you will be like Jeremiah,

in whose heart the word of the Lord was 'as a burning fire

shut up in [his] bones,' urging him on so that he could not

refrain from speaking. (Jer. 20:9) That warm encourage-

ment reflected the confidence that Jehovah and Jesus have

in loyal Kingdom supporters.

14 How should true Christians reach others with the

Kingdom message?The short but powerful article entitled

Service Essential, in the August 15, 1922, issue of The

Watch Tower urged anointed Christians to take part in ac-

tively carrying the printed message to the people and talk-

ing to them at their doors, giving the witness that the king-

dom of heaven is at hand.

15

Clearly, from 1919on, Christ has used his faithful and

discreet slave to emphasize repeatedly that a Christian's

privilege and duty on earth is to proclaim the Kingdom

message. How, though, did the early Bible Students re-

spond to the encouragement to share in the work of King-

dom proclamation?

The

Faithful

Will BeVolunteers

16 In the 1920's and 1930's, some resisted the idea that

all anointed Christians should share in the ministry. The

November 1,1927,Watch Tower explained what was happen-

ing: There are those today in the church [congregation]

occupying the responsible position of elder. who refuse

to encourage their brethren to have part in the service, and

who refuse to participate in the service themselves. They

scoff at the suggestion of going from door to door to car-

ry the message of God, his King and his kingdom, to the

people. The article pointedly said: The time has come for

the faithful to mark such and to avoid them, and to say to

them that no longer will we entrust such men with the

office of eldership. [31

17

Happily, most in the congregations responded enthu-

siastically to the direction from headquarters. They count-

GOD 'S

K I N G D OM

RULES



ed it a privilege to share the Kingdom message. he Watch

ower

of March 15,1926, put it this way: The faithful will

be volunteers to tell this message to the people. Such

faithful ones lived up to the prophetic words found at

Psalm 110:3 and proved themselves to be willing support-

ers of the Messianic King.

8

Over the past 100 years, millions have offered them-

selveswillingly to carry out the work of Kingdom proclama-

tion. In the next few chapters, we will discuss

how

they have

preached-the methods and the tools they have used-and

what

the results have been. First, though, let us discuss

wby

millions have shared in this Kingdom-preaching work vol-

untarily, despite living in a me-first world. As we consider

why, we do well to ask ourselves, 'Why do I share the good

news with others?'

Keep

. Seeking First the

Kingdom

19

Jesus counseled his followers to keep

.

seeking first

the Kingdom. (Matt. 6:33) Why do we heed that counsel?

Basically, because we recognize the importance of the King-

dom, that it is central to God's purpose. As we saw in the

preceding chapter, the holy spirit has gradually revealed

thrilling truths about the Kingdom. When precious King-

dom truth touches our heart, we feel impelled to seek first

that Kingdom.

2

Jesus knew how his followers would respond to the

counsel to keep seeking first the Kingdom. Consider his il-

lustration of the hidden treasure.

Read atthew 13:44.

In the course of his daily work, the field laborer in the il-

lustration happens to find a hidden treasure and immedi-

ately recognizes its value. What does he do? Because of his

joy, he goes and sells everything he has and buys tha t field.

What is the lesson for us? When we find Kingdom truth

and recognize its value, we will joyfully make whatever sac-

rifices are needed so that we may keep Kingdom interests

where they belong-first in our life.

141

21

Loyal Kingdom supporters show by deeds, not mere

words, that they are seeking first the Kingdom. They de-

vote their lives, their abilities, and their resources to the

Kingdom-preaching work. Many have made great sacrifices

in order to pursue the full-time ministry. All such willing

preachers have seen firsthand that Jehovah blesses those

who put the Kingdom first. Consider

an

example from the

early days.

19.

Why do we heed Jesus'

counsel to keep. seek-

ing first the Kingdom ?

20.

How does Jesus' illus-

tration of the hidden

treasure show how his fol-

lowers would respond to

the counsel to keep seeking

first the Kingdom?

21, 22. How do loyal King-

dom supporters show that

they are seeking first the

Kingdom? Give an example.

FOOTNOT

[4] Jesus made a similar point in his

illustration of a traveling merchant

who goes out in search of

a

pearl of

high value. When the merchant finds it

he sells everything he has and buys it.

Matt. 13:45,46 The two parables

also teach

us

that we may learn of

Kingdom truth in different ways. Some

stumble upon

it

so to speak; others

search for it. But no matter how we

find the truth, we are willing to make

sacrifices

in

order to put the Kingdom

first in our life.

P E O P L E

WHO

P R E C H





22

Avery and Lovenia Bristow served together as colpor-

teurs (pioneers) in the southern United States starting in

23. How do you feel about

the late 1920's. Years later, Lovenia recalled: Avery and

the Kingdom truth that you

have had many happy years together in the pioneer work

have found, and what are

you determined to do?

since then. There have been manv times when we did not

know where the money for gashline or groceries would

come from. But one way or another, Jehovah always pro-

vided. We just kept on keeping on. We always had what we

actually needed. Lovenia remembered one occasion when

they were serving in Pensacola, Florida, and were low on

money and groceries. They came home to their trailer and

found two large bags of groceries along with a note that

read, With love from the Pensacola Company. [sl Reflect-

ing on her decades in the full-time ministry, Lovenia said:

'Yehovah never forsakes us. He never betrays the trust we

put in him.

3

We cannot all do the same amount of preaching. Our

circumstances vary. However, all of us can count it a priv-

ilege to declare the good news whole-souled. (Col. 3:23) Be-

cause we prize the precious Kingdom tru th we have found,

we are willing-yes, eager-to make whatever sacrifices we

can in order to serve to the fullest extent possible. Is that

not your determination?

24 Over the past century, the King has indeed been ful-

filling his prophetic words recorded at Matthew 24:

14.

And

he has done so without using coercion. After coming out

of this self-centered world, his followers have willingly of-

fered themselves to preach. Their earth-wide preaching of

the good news is part of the sign of Jesus' presence in King-

dom power-and one of the Kingdom's greatest accom-

plishments in the last days.

24. What is one of the

Kingdom's greatest accom-

plishments

n

the last days?

FOOTNOTE

[ S ]

Congregations were then called

companies.

. -

-and

h a ~ i t ~au sherw +h t

you

are s kingfirst the

PEOPLE WHO

PREACH



F O U S

OF

CHAPTER

God s people use a

variety o f methods o f

preaching to reach

the largest audience

possible

I 2. (a) What technique

did Jesus use in order to

speak to a large audience?

b)

How have faithful disci-

ples of Christ followed his

example, and why?

3

How were enemies of

the truth frustrated by our

use of newspapers?

Methods of

Preaching

Using Every Means

CROWDS gather around Jesus on the shore of a lake, but

he boards a boat and pulls away a short distance. Why? He

knows that the surface of the water will amplify his voice

and that the large audience will be able to hear his message

more clearly.-Read

ark

41

2.

In the decades surrounding the Kingdom's birth,

faithful disciples of Christ followedhis example,using nov-

el techniques to spread the good news of the Kingdom to

large audiences. Under the direction of the King, God's

people continue to innovate and adapt as circumstances

change and new technologies become available.We want to

reach as many as possible before the end comes. (Matt. 24:

14) Consider just some of the methods we have used to

reach people, no matter where they live. Think, too, of ways

that you can imitate the faith of those who spread the good

news in the early days.

Reaching

Large

udiences

Newspapers. Brother Russell and his associates had

been publishing the

Watch

Tower since 1879, bringing the

Kingdom message to many people. In the decade prior to

1914,however, Christ seems to have maneuvered matters so

that the good-news would reach an even wider audience.

The chain of events began in 1903.In that year, Dr.

E. L.

Ea-

ton, a spokesman for a group of Protestant ministers in

Pennsylvania, challenged Charles Taze Russell to a series of

debates on Bible doctrine. In a letter to Russell, Eaton

wrote: I have thought that a public debate of some of

those questions about which you and I differ . would be

of immense interest to the public. Russell and his asso-

ciates also thought the public would be interested, so they

arranged to have the debates published in a leading news-

paper, f i e Pittsburgh Gazette The newspaper articles were so

G O D S

K I N G D O M

RULES



popular and Russell's clear explanation of Bible truth so

compelling that the paper offered to publish Russell's lec-

tures every week. How that development must have frus-

trated enemies of the truth

4 More newspapers soon wanted to carry Russell's lec-

tures. By 1908, the

Watch ower

could report that the

sermons were published in "eleven newspapers regular-

ly." However, brothers familiar with newspaper work ad-

vised Russell that if he moved the Society's offices from

Pittsburgh to a city that was better known, more news-

papers would carry the Bible-based articles. After weighing

that advice and other factors, Russell moved the offices to

Brooklyn, New York, in 1909. The result? Just months af-

ter that move, some 400 newspapers were publishing the

lectures, with more constantly being added to the list. By

the time the Kingdom was established in 1914, over 2,000

newspapers in four languages were publishing Russell's ser-

mons and articles

What important lesson does that development pro-

vide? Those who have a measure of authority in God's or-

ganization today do well to imitate Russell's humility. In

what way? When making important decisions, consider the

advice of others.-Read Proverbs 1522

The Kingdom truths published in those newspaper ar-

ticles changed people's lives. (Heb. 412) For example, Ora

Hetzel, who was baptized in 1917, was one of many who

first learned the truth through such articles. "After

I

was

married," said Ora, "I went to visit my mother in Roches-

ter, Minnesota When I arrived,

I

found her cutting out ar-

ticles from a newspaper. They were sermons by Russell.

Mother explained the things she had learned from them."

Ora accepted the truths she learned and for some six de-

cades was a faithful proclaimer of God's Kingdom.

7 In 1916, two key events caused those taking the lead

to reassess the use of newspapers in spreadmg the good

news. First, the Great War that was raging at the time made

printing supplies difficult to obtain. In 1916, a report from

our newspaper department in Britain highlighted the chal-

lenge, saying: "There are just over 30 papers publishing the

Sermons at the present time. It is quite likely that this num-

ber will be greatly reduced shortly owing to the increasing-

ly high price of paper." The second event was the death

of Brother Russell on October 31, 1916. Thus,

he Watch

ower

of December 15,1916, announced: "Now that Broth-

er Russell has passed beyond, the sermon feature [in the

4

5 What quality did Rus-

sell display, and how can

those with positions of

responsibility imitate his

example?

6 How did

t h e

truths pub-

lished

in

newspaper articles

affect one person?

7 Why did those taking the

lead reassess the use of

newspapers?

y 1914, over

2,000

newspapers

were publishing

Russell s sermons

M E T H O D S O F P R E C H I N G



newspapers] will be discontinued entirely. Although this

avenue of preaching came to an end, other methods, such

as the Photo-Drama of Creation, continued to have great

success.

Picture

presentations

Russell and his associates

worked for some three years to produce the Photo-Drama

of Creation, which was released in 1914. (Prov. 21:s The

Drama, as it was called, was an innovative combination

of moving pictures, sound recordings, and colored glass

slides. Hundreds of people took part in reenacting Bible

scenes that were captured on film, and even animals were

involved. The largest part of the population of one of the

large zoological gardens, says a report from 1913, was

brought into use in order to reproduce in Motion talking

8. What

was

involved in

producing th Photo-

Drama

o f

Creation ?

G O D S K I N G D O M RULES





13,

14 How was radio used

to spread the good news?

(See also the boxes "Pro-

grams on

WBBR

and

"A

Momentous Convention.")

IS, 16. (a) How did the

clergy

in

Canada react to

our broadcasts? (b) How

did radio lectures and the

house-to-house work com-

plement each other?

In 1922, an

estimated 50,000

people heard the

radio broadcast

o f the talk

Millions Now

Living

Will

Never

Die

1925, Charles was invited to serve at Bethel in Brooklyn,

New York. There he was assigned to conduct an orchestra

for the newly established radio station WBBR After con-

sidering the example of Brother Rohner, we could ask our-

selves, 'Am I willing to accept whatever assignments I am

given to help spread the Kingdom message?'-Read Isaiah

6:8

3 Radio

In the 1920's) the work with the "Photo-

Drama'' began to wind down, but radio emerged as a sig-

nificant way to spread the good news of the Kingdom.

On April 16, 1922, Brother Rutherford gave his first radio

broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadel-

phia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people heard the

talk "Millions Now Living Will Never Die." Then, in 1923,

came the first broadcast of a convention session. In addi-

tion to using commercial stations, those taking the lead

decided that i t would be wise for us to build our own sta-

tion, which was built on Staten Island, New York, and reg-

istered as WBBR. The initial broadcast was aired on Febru-

ary 24, 1924.

4

Explaining the purpose of WBBR, The

atch

Tower of

December 1, 1924, said: "We believe that the radio is the

most economical and effective way of spreading the mes-

sage of the truth that has yet been used." It then added:

"If the Lord sees fit to build other radio stations for the

spreading of the truth, he will provide the money in his

own good way." (Ps. 127:l) By 1926,Jehovah's people owned

six radio stations. Two were located in the United States

-WBBR in New York and

WORD

near Chicago. The other

four were in Canada, located in Alberta, British Columbia,

Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

s

This wide broadcasting of Bible truth did not go un-

noticed by the clergy of Christendom. Albert Hoffman, who

was familiar with the work done at the radio station in

Saskatchewan, Canada, said: "More and more people be-

gan to know of the Bible Students [as Jehovah's Witnesses

were then called]. A wonderful witness was given until 1928,

when the clergy put pressure on officials and

ll

the stations

in Canada run by the Bible Students lost their licenses."

6

Despite the closure of our radio stations in Canada,

Bible lectures continued to be iransmitted on commercial

stations. (Matt. 10:23) To boost the effectiveness of those

programs, The

atch

Tower and 7%eGolden

ge

(now called

Awake ) carried a list of commercial stations that broadcast

Bible truth so that publishers calling from door to door

GOD 'S K I N G D OM RULES







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m rc th n 52

wgu ges



SOME METHODS USED TO RE CH

L RG E

NUMBERS

OF

P E O P L E

1914

Photo-Dmma

0fCreaticm [~1

1933

Sound

cars

Year indicates

when

a particular 1903 1922

rnethsd beg n t~

be

used)

~ S W Radio

1936

Placard

wrmans

21

What have you learned

from the experience involv-

ing Sina?

22

23

(a) Have the

methods of reaching large

audiences replaced the

door-to-door ministry?

(b) How has the King

blessed our efforts?

FOOTNOTE

[2]

The Photo-Drama included

some motion pictures.

Starting in 1997, Jehovah's people adopted this meth-

od of mass communication. In 2013, the jw.org Web site

became available in some 300 languages, and Bible-based

information was made available for download in over 520

languages. Each day the site receives more than 750,000 in-

dividual visits. Each month, in addition to viewing videos,

people download over 3 million complete books, 4 million

complete magazines, and 22 million audio tracks.

21 The Web site has become a powerful method of

spreading the good news of God's Kingdom, even

in lands

where our preaching work is restricted. For example, ear-

ly in 2013, a man named Sina found the jw.org site and

called world headquarters, which is located in the Unit-

ed States, asking for more information about the Bible.

What made this call unusual? Sina comes from a Muslim

background and lives in a remote village in a country where

the work of Jehovah's Witnesses is severely restricted. As a

result of this call, arrangements were made for Sina to

study the Bible twice a week with a Witness in the United

States. The study was conducted using an Internet video

service.

Teaching

Individuals

22 None of the methods we have used to reach large

audiences, such

as

newspapers, the Photo-Drama,'' radio

programs, and the Web site, were meant to replace the

GOD'S

K I N G O M

RULES1



door-to-door ministry. Why not? Because Jehovah's people

learned from the pattern set by Jesus. He did more than

preach to large crowds; he focused on helping individuals.

(Luke

19:l-5)

Jesus also trained his disciples to do the same,

and he gave them a message to deliver.

(Read Luke

10:1

8-11.)

As discussed in Chapter 6, those taking the lead have

always encouraged each servant ofJehovah to speak to peo-

ple face-to-face.-Acts

5:42; 20:20.

23 One hundred years after the Kingdom's birth, more

than 7.9 million publishers actively share in teaching oth-

ers about God's purposes. Without question, the King has

blessed the methods we have used to advertise the Kmg-

dom. As the following chapter will show, he has also pro-

vided us with the tools we need to spread the good news

to every nation, tribe, and tongue.-Rev. 14:6.

OW eal IS

What events involving our use of newspapers, picture

presentations, radio, and the Internet prove to you that the 7

the

Kingdom

Kingdom is real?

;al? . ..wc$ p&a~,b I .

,*4

.

r 2a 2 . f ,

:r -

to you? I

Why do we emphasize the door-to-door ministry?

- .

1

,I- *.

hk t&

ff. 4 .

I - I

-.,

* 'I * ft, . ' 4 . 8

I

ME THOD S O F P R EACH INC



FO US

O F

CHAPTER

Jehovah continues to

provide us with the

tools we need to teach

individuals from every

nation tribe and

tongue

I

2.

(a) In the first centu-

ry what helped to spread

the good news throughout

the Roman Empire?

(b) What evidence do we

have ofJehovah's backing

in our time? (See the box

Good News in More Than

670 Tongues. )

3.

Why do we use a variety

of tools in our preaching

work?

FOOTNOTE

[ ] In th e past decade alone, Jehovah s

people have produced m ore than

2 billion Bible-based publications. In

addition, ou r Web site, jw.org, is now

available to the more than

2.7

billion

peo ple wor ldwide wh o access the

Internet.

Tools for Preaching

Producing Literature

for the Worldwide Field

VISITORS to Jerusalem could hardly believe what they were

hearing. Galileans were speakingforeign languages fluently,

and the message they were conveyingcaptivated their listen-

ers. It was Pentecost 33 C.E., and the disciples had miracu-

lously received the gift of speaking in various languages

-proof that they had God's backing. ReadActs 2:l-8,12,

15-17. The good news they preached that day reached peo-

ple of diverse backgrounds and thereafter spread through-

out the Roman Empire.-Col. 1:23.

Today, God's servants do not miraculously speak in

various languages. Even so, covering far more languages

than in the first century, they translate the Kingdom mes-

sage into over 670 languages. (Acts 2:9-11) God's people

have produced literature in such vast quantities and in so

many languages that the Kingdom message has penetrated

every corner of the globe.['] This too is unmistakable evi-

dence that Jehovah is using the King Jesus Christ to direct

our preaching work. (Matt. 28:19, 20) As we review just

some of the tools we have used to accomplish this work

over the past 100years, note how the King has progressive-

ly trained us to be interested in individuals and has encour-

aged us to be teachers of God's Word.-2 Tim. 2:2.

he

KingEquipsHisServants to PlantSeedsofTruth

3

Jesus likened the word of the Kingdom to seeds and

a person's heart to soil. (Matt. 13:18, 19)Just as a gardener

may use a variety of tools to soften the soil and prepare it

to receive seed,Jehovah's people have used avariety of tools

that have helped them prepare the hearts of millions to re-

ceive the Kingdom message. Some of those tools were use-

ful for a limited time. Others, such as books and magazines,

continue to do valuable work. Unlike most of the meth-

ods of mass communication mentioned in the preceding

COD'S K I N G D OM RUL E S



translate it &&ii es dealingwith aspects o f he

problemscan benefit from the direction given.

~n~lish.lan~t&e;h<~purre aught tanslators

H~~ hasthis training helpedthe translators?

how

t

analyle t he te&Ld bc+wareo f such

oneaid:aThe tr ininge

have

features &s-t'3str~lcture,one, syle, purpose,

grants us the freedom to explore techniques

and intendedaudience.

for handling the original text, but it also sets

second coursewas developed in 2001 by reasonable boundariesthat prevent us from

a pool o f ~per iencedranslators. This course

taking over the role o f he writer. Now we feel

focuses on specific translation techniques. All

like fully equipped explorers ready to take on a

the translation teams around the world have

challenge every day, knowing well where to go,

now been put through this training program.

what alternate routes to take, and when to

In addition to organizingthe training courses,

the Governing Body established aTranslator

As o f 2013, more than 2,700 translators were

Help Desk. Whenever a translation team needs

working in over 190 locations to help spread

help in understandingthe source text or is not

the good news in more than 670 tongues. This

sure about how a translation techniqueshould

remarkablework is possible only because i t has

be applied in a specific case, they can electroni-

the backingo f the KingJesusChrist.-Matt.

cally submit their question to this desk. When

28:19, 20; Rev. 14:6.

the question raised is editorial in nature, the



4,

5. How were phono-

graph records used, but

what did they lack?

y 1940, more than 90

different recorded talks

were

available and over a million

records had

been made

chapter, all the tools discussed here have helped Kingdom

publishers contact people face-to-face.-Acts 542; 1Z2, 3.

4 Recorded talks

In the 1930's and into the 1940's,

publishers used recorded Bible lectures played on portable

phonographs. Each recording lasted less than five minutes.

Sometimes the records had short titles, such as Trini-

ty,

Purgatory, and Kingdom. How were those records

used? Brother Clayton Woodworth, Jr., who was baptized

in 1930 in the United States, said: I carried alittle suitcase-

type phonograph, spring wound, with a portable arm that

I had to set in just the right position at the edge of the rec-

ord if it was to pIay properly. I would approach a door, open

the case, set the arm in place, and push the doorbell. When

the householder opened the door, I would say,

I

have an

important message I would like you to hear. ' What was

the response? Many times, says Brother Woodworth, the

person responded favorably. At other times, people just

shut the door. Occasionally, they thought that I was sell-

ing phonographs.

By 1940, over 90 different recorded talks were available

and over a million records had been made. John E. Barr,

who was pioneering in Britain at that time and who later

served on the Governing Body, said: During the years 1936

to 1945, a phonograph was my constant companion. In

fact, in those days I felt lost without one. To hear Broth-

er Rutherford's voice at the doorstep was ever so encour-

aging; it felt as though he were there in person. Of course,

COD S

K I N G D OM RULES 1



phonograph work still lacked the teaching aspect of the

ministry, the ability to touch the hearts of people.

6

Testimony cards Beginning in 1933, publishers were

encouraged to use testimony cards in their door-to-door

ministry. A testimony card was about three by five inches

in size. It contained a brief Bible message and a descrip-

tion of Bible-based literature that the householder could

obtain. A publisher would simply hand the card to the

householder and

ask

him to read it. I welcomed the testi-

mony card work, said Lilian Kammerud, who eventually

served as a missionary in Puerto Rico and Argentina. Why

was that? Not all of us could give a good presentation,''

she said. So it helped me get accustomed to approaching

people.

7

Brother David Reusch, who was baptized in 1918, ob-

served, Testimony cards helped the brothers, for very few

felt that they were able to say the right thing. This tool

had its limits, though. Sometimes, said Brother Reusch,

we met people who thought we could not speak. In a sense,

many of us were not able to speak. But Jehovah was pre-

paring us to meet the public as his ministers. Soon he

would put words in our mouth by teaching us to use the

Scriptures at the door. This

was accomplished through

the Theocratic Ministry School that began in the 1940's.

-Read Jeremiah 1:6 9.

8

Books Since 1914, Jehovah's people have produced

over 100 different books tha t &scuss Bible topics. Some of

those books were specifically designed to train publish-

ers to be effective ministers. Anna Larsen, in Denmark,

who has been a publisher for some 70 years, says: 'Yehovah

helped us to be more effective publishers by means of the

Theocratic Ministry School and the associated books we

received. I remember that the first of those books was the

Theocratic

id

to Kingdom Publishers, released in 1945. It was

followed by Equipped for Every Good Wbrk, published in

1946. Now we have Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Ed-

ucation, published in 2001. Certainly, the Theocratic Min-

istry School and related books have played a key role

as

Je-

hovah has adequately qualified us to be ministers. (2 Cor.

3:5,6) Are you enrolled in the Theocratic Ministry School?

Do you bring the Ministry School book to the meeting each

week and follow along as the school overseer refers to it? If

you do, you will be allowing Christ to train you to be a bet-

ter teacher.-2 Cor. 9:6; Tim. 2:15.

6, 7

(a) What were the

benefits and the limitations

of using testimony cards?

b)

In

what sense has

Jehovah 'put words

in

our mouths'?

8.

How can you allow

Christ to train you?

Testimony card

(Italian)

TOOLS

F O R

P R E C H I N G



































































































































































































































































































































Documents

2014-Gods Kingdom Rules